How Rafael Devers Trade Affects American League’s All-Star Ballot

MLB unveiled its first All-Star voting update on Monday. Sunday’s Rafael Devers trade impacted the results.

Devers has received 796,382 votes thus far, more than the American League’s next three voting leaders at designated hitter combined. However, he can’t start for the AL after getting sent to the San Francisco Giants.

An American League East hitter could take Devers’ spot. Ryan O’Hearn (353,029) is now positioned to start over Ben Rice (232,331). They’re ahead of Mike Tauchman, who has played 25 games for the Chicago White Sox, and Yordan Alvarez and Anthony Santander, each injured with a negative WAR.

Devers must now make the National League’s All-Star roster. His votes all transfer to the Senior Circuit, but he faces a much more challenging path to earning a starting nod.

While Devers was running away with the AL vote, he’s now a distant runner-up to Shohei Ohtani for the NL’s DH spot. Ohtani has amassed an NL-leading 1,398,771 votes.

Devers has the second-most votes among anyone currently not starting behind Pete Alonso, whose 895,900 votes trail Freddie Freeman (1,136,389) at first base.

With Devers gone, the injured Alex Bregman is the only Red Sox player in the top five at his position. It’d take a seismic comeback for him to start at the hot corner, as he’s 571,173 votes behind José Ramírez.

Nevertheless, the Red Sox have other worthy All-Star selections beyond Devers.

Barring a disastrous next few weeks, Garrett Crochet should receive an invitation to Atlanta. The ace’s 2.24 ERA and 117 strikeouts make him a candidate to draw the starting nod.

Aroldis Chapman could also receive his eighth All-Star bid, and Carlos Narváez is making a compelling case for a reserve spot as Cal Raleigh dominates the AL’s fan vote at catcher.