These 4 Yankees could make MLB All-Star Game. See the candidates

NEW YORK – Limping badly into July, the Yankees’ All-Star Game thoughts should be confined to righting the ship before July 14.

Still, the AL’s current second-best team – despite a seven-game losing streak entering Friday – will have multiple representatives at Philadelphia for the Mid-Summer Classic, but without some of the usual suspects.

Two-time defending AL MVP Aaron Judge is still sidelined indefinitely as he rehabs from a fractured first right rib.

Ace righty Gerrit Cole has stumbled lately after a strong initial comeback from Tommy John surgery rehab (May 22) and after a strong start, lefty Max Fried (elbow bone bruise) has been on the injured list since May 14.

On the eve of All-Star Game rosters being finalized, here’s a list of Yankees who could get the call:

Cam Schlittler

An easy All-Star selection, Schlittler also has a chance to start for the American League, depending on where his days of rest line up leading into the game.

He’s likely to have two more starts before July 14, and the right-hander is coming off his worst of the season, moving his ERA from a ridiculous 1.69 to 2.08.

That mark leads the league, and Schlittler is also first in pitchers WAR (per Baseball-Reference.com) and he’s second in the AL in WHIP (0.962) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.644).

“We can all say he’s probably been the best, or one of the best pitchers in the sport,’’ manager Aaron Boone said after Schlittler’s 13-strikeout, zero walk, six shutout innings June 19 vs. Cincinnati.

Ben Rice

Over his last 21 games, Rice has cooled considerably.

In that span, the Yanks’ lefty-hitting first baseman-DH is batting .179 with a .607 OPS since June 9.

Still, it’s been a breakout season for Rice, the team’s first-half MVP who ranks fourth in the league in home runs (23) and OPS (.922) and fifth in runs created (62).

“He’s been a frontrunner for an MVP,’’ Judge said of Rice’s season on balance. “There’s a lot of weight on him, a lot of pressure. But he’s handling it well, he’ll get back on track.’’

Cody Bellinger

Like Rice, Bellinger’s otherwise All-Star first half has been mired by an ice cold recent stretch.

In his last 13 games, Bellinger is batting .109 with a .357 OPS, and the Yanks have a 3-10 record in that span.

Bellinger’s home-road splits couldn’t be more drastic; he’s a .343 hitter with a 1.058 OPS at Yankee Stadium vs. a stunning .182/.564 on the road.

And yet, the lefty-hitting Bellinger is sixth in Baseball-Reference.com’s AL position player WAR rankings, partly accounting for his Gold Glove caliber defense in left field.

Paul Goldschmidt

Almost every public reference to Goldschmidt by his teammates contains the phrase “future Hall-of-Famer.’’

He’s provided a big benefit for a team without Giancarlo Stanton (calf strain) since late April, and Goldschmidt has also slipped a bit lately – reflecting the club’s overall offensive slide.

But in 40 games from May 7 through June 25, Goldschmidt batted .333 with a 1.004 OPS and 12 home runs in 150 at-bats.

Is that enough to get him to his eighth All-Star Game, the first since his 2022 NL MVP season with the St. Louis Cardinals?

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: These 4 Yankees could make MLB All-Star Game. See the candidates