The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry has been renewed in a big way this season, with the two storied squads carrying the two best records in baseball in an American League East battle that might go down to the wire. Unsurprisingly, the 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Ballot voters have noticed.• VOTE

The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry has been renewed in a big way this season, with the two storied squads carrying the two best records in baseball in an American League East battle that might go down to the wire. Unsurprisingly, the 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Ballot voters have noticed.

• VOTE NOW: 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Ballot

In the first AL voting update released Tuesday, the Yankees and Red Sox were the only clubs with multiple players on pace to start the 89th All-Star Game presented by Mastercard on Tuesday, July 17, at Nationals Park in Washington. Boston and New York each had two such players, and Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts has more votes than any other player in the Majors.

• National League All-Star voting update

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Here are the latest AL results, highlighted by particularly close races at catcher and first base:

CATCHER



Gary Sanchez , Yankees: 336,280

Wilson Ramos , Rays: 320,969

Brian McCann , Astros: 174,661

Salvador Perez , Royals: 144,457

Martin Maldonado , Angels: 94,928

Perez will need a lot of help if he's going to extend his All-Star starting streak to five. Sanchez (.190/.291/.430, 12 homers, 35 RBIs) and Ramos (.285/.329/.435, seven homers, 30 RBIs) are the only AL catchers with enough at-bats to qualify for the batting title, and they are separated by fewer than 16,000 votes, making this the closest of any of the AL races so far.

FIRST BASE



Jose Abreu , White Sox: 267,812

Mitch Moreland, Red Sox: 241,889

Jose Cabrera , Tigers: 173,174

Jose Pujols , Angels: 155,219

Yuli Gurriel, Astros: 154,363

In a down year for AL first-base production overall, Abreu has asserted himself with a .290/.350/.512 slash line, 10 homers, 25 doubles and 38 RBIs. But Moreland, having rather recently taken over the full-time duties at first base after the Red Sox designated Hanley Ramirez for assignment, is giving Abreu close competition, and likely future Hall of Famers Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols are getting some legacy love here.

SECOND BASE



Jose Altuve , Astros: 701,236

Gleyber Torres , Yankees: 279,810

Dee Gordon, Mariners: 87,647

Jed Lowrie , A's: 70,454

Jason Kipnis , Indians: 68,151

Altuve, the reigning AL MVP Award winner, has caught fire in recent weeks (.455/.486/.682 since May 25) and is fending off a charge from the rookie Torres, who has a .915 OPS through 145 at-bats and is one of the game's burgeoning young stars.

THIRD BASE



Jose Ramirez , Indians: 443,234

Miguel Andujar , Yankees: 219,691

Alex Bregman , Astros: 180,911

Adrian Beltre , Rangers: 121,403

Mike Moustakas, Royals: 112,150

Ramirez made a late surge in the voting last year to earn his first All-Star start and appearance. This year, he's in the pole position from the early going, with the fans taking note of a .995 OPS that is far and away the best at this position, and he also has 19 homers and 19 doubles.

SHORTSTOP



Manny Machado, Orioles: 321,887

Francisco Lindor , Indians: 211,756

Didi Gregorius, Yankees: 208,583

Carlos Correa , Astros: 206,727

Andrelton Simmons , Angels:135,562

In probably the deepest position on the ballot, Machado is getting a ton of support from fans who know his days in Baltimore could be numbered. He's had a sensational start in his return to shortstop (.312/.380/.591, 18 HRs, 50 RBIs) to help his trade value and his vote total. Lindor, with an .885 OPS and 35 extra-base hits, is Machado's closest competition.

OUTFIELD



Mookie Betts , Red Sox: 748,872

Michael Trout , Angels: 639,822

Aaron Judge , Yankees: 541,983

Michael Brantley , Indians: 238,659

George Springer , Astros: 225,316

Andrew Benintendi , Red Sox: 208,837

Brett Gardner , Yankees: 160,123

Marwin Gonzalez , Astros: 132,961

Nicholas Castellanos , Tigers: 124,676

Josh Reddick , Astros: 124,340

Aaron Hicks , Yankees: 119,660

Jackie Bradley Jr. , Red Sox: 105,821

Mitch Haniger, Mariners: 100,149

Eddie Rosario , Twins: 92,271

Tyler Naquin , Indians: 63,725

The only mystery here was and is in which order Betts, Trout and Judge will finish in the voting, because there was no doubt that their big seasons in big markets would profile well at the polls. Betts doesn't only lead this group, but all players in batting average (.354), OPS (1.167) and votes. Trout is in good position to be voted in as a starter for a sixth straight season (and appear on the AL roster for a seventh straight), though he missed last year's game with a thumb injury. Judge says he won't be defending his T-Mobile Home Run Derby title, but he's on track to start the Midsummer Classic for the second time in his second full season.

DESIGNATED HITTER



J.D. Martinez, Red Sox: 513,415

Giancarlo Stanton , Yankees: 231,885

Shohei Ohtani , Angels: 218,981

Evan Gattis, Astros: 155,091

Edwin Encarnacion , Indians: 119,526

Any curiosity as to whether the two-way talent Ohtani could overtake the likes of Martinez and Stanton in the voting at this position was dismissed when Ohtani was diagnosed with an ulnar collateral ligament sprain last week. Martinez is a deserving leader here, having accrued a .311/.373/.643 slash line, a Major League-leading 21 homers (tied with Trout) and 54 RBIs in his first season in Boston.

Fans may cast votes at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on computers, tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Ballot

Following the announcement of this year's All-Star starters, reserves and pitchers, fans should return to MLB.com and cast their 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Final Vote for the final player on each league's roster. Then on Tuesday, July 17, while watching the 2018 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard live on FOX, fans may visit MLB.com to submit their choices for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet with the 2018 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote.

The 89th Midsummer Classic, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 180 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish-language coverage in the United States, while ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage.

For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, visit AllStarGame.com