Harper slips to second in All-Star voting, Ramos up to fourth

CHICAGO - Bryce Harper has slipped behind Dexter Fowler in All-Star balloting, but the Nationals star remains comfortably in position to earn a starting spot in the outfield for the National League in next month's Midsummer Classic.

Harper, who led all NL outfielders in the first round of voting released by Major League Baseball last week, has since fallen slightly behind Fowler. The Cubs center fielder currently has received 1,170,718 votes to Harper's 1,119,168. The Mets' Yoenis Cespedes sits in third place at 1,097,593, with the Cubs' Jason Heyward a distant fourth at 703,911.

Harper has been in a slump for several weeks after winning NL Player of the Month honors for April but has shown signs in recent days of snapping out of it. He went 3-for-5 on Sunday in Cincinnati and last night drove in three runs in the Nationals' 10-5 win over the White Sox.

Overall, Harper is hitting .249 with a .409 on-base percentage and .929 OPS that ranks sixth in the league. The 23-year-old slugger is seeking his fourth-career All-Star selection, his third as a starter via the fan vote.

Fowler, who is hitting .307 with a .422 on-base percentage and .939 OPS, is one of five Cubs currently leading the vote at their respective positions, along with first baseman Anthony Rizzo, second baseman Ben Zobrist, shortstop Addison Russell and third baseman Kris Bryant.

Zobrist continues to lead the Nationals' Daniel Murphy, MLB's leading hitter and NL Player of the Month for May who for the second straight week checks in as the second-place vote-getter at second base.

Wilson Ramos, meanwhile, moved up from fifth place to fourth place among NL catchers. Ramos, who is batting .348 with a .953 OPS, has 366,531 votes, well behind current leader Yadier Molina of the Cardinals, who has 694,204 votes.

No other Nationals position players currently rank in the top five at their respective positions.