Teoscar Hernández and Will Smith have both spent several weeks on the injured list this season, but they nevertheless were among the Los Angeles Dodgers who advanced to Phase 2 of 2026 MLB All-Star Game voting. So too did Mookie Betts despite his slow offensive start to the season.
None of the three wound up earning a selection as National League starters and reserves were announced on the Fourth of July holiday. The outcome was to be expected in some regard when considering the amount of time Hernández and Smith have missed. There was some thought Betts had played his way into a late selection behind his recent surge.
Betts, Hernández and Smith were among six Dodgers who advanced to Phase 2 of All-Star Game voting. Betts trailed the Washington Nationals’ CJ Abrams throughout the process and ultimately came up short. Betts did manage to close the gap some when vote totals reset for the second round, but the final update only had him at 44%.
Had Betts managed to overtake Abrams in fan voting, he would’ve joined Bill Russell (1980) and Trea Turner (2022) as the only Dodgers shortstops to receive a fan election. Betts hasn’t started in an All-Star Game since 2023.
That was the same year he participated in the Home Run Derby at T-Mobile Park, which Betts later declared was “not for me” after he struggled.
Smith was an All-Star from 2023-25, with last year’s selection coming by way of fan voting. However for the 96th edition of the Midsummer Classic, Smith trailed the Atlanta Braves’ Drake Baldwin at each of the balloting updates.
Thus, Smith fell short in trying to secure a fourth All-Star Game selection and second consecutive year as a starter. Mike Piazza remains the last Dodgers catcher to earn multiple fan elections in a row when he was voted an NL starter from 1994-97.
Before Smith in 2025, Russell Martin had been the last Dodgers catcher to start an All-Star Game when he did so in 2007.
As for Hernández, he was outside the top three NL outfielders at each voting update. He did rise to fourth during Phase 2 but fell short in completing the climb to earn a third career All-Star Game selection and second appearance via fan voting.
Hernández was voted an American League starter while with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021, and made the NL team as a reserve for the 2024 All-Star Game in his first season with the Dodgers.
Will Smith, Teoscar Hernández and Mookie Betts can still make All-Star team?
In the event there are potential injury replacements needed, or if a player withdraws, it could create an opening for Betts, Hernández or Smith to wind up being part of this year’s All-Star Game. Though, it figures to be much less likely with Smith given he remains on the injured list.
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