DENVER – The Rockies’ Ryan McMahon likes the idea of playing in the All-Star Game, and those who back his candidacy have a solid statistical argument.

The fans haven’t heard it. The top three vote-getters among NL second basemen as of Monday’s update are the Braves’ Ozzie Albies (17 percent), the Pirates’ Adam Frazier (12 percent) and the Dodgers’ Gavin Lux (10 percent), and behind them are the Cubs’ Nico Hoerner (10 percent) and the Padres’ Jake Cronenworth (9 percent).

The good news for McMahon in that the vote appears split, and none of the five leaders has the cachet of having been an All-Star. That means plenty of time to check the numbers and understand that although McMahon plays a considerable amount at third base, he is a second baseman on the ballot.

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McMahon entering Monday:

• He is leading NL second basemen with 15 home runs, which tied him with the Blue Jays’ Marcus Semien for the MLB lead and was six ahead of Albies. McMahon trailed Albies in RBIs, 39-38.

• He is third in the league with an .802 OPS, behind Frazier (.864) and Albies (.822).

• He is, according to Fangraphs, leading NL second basemen with seven defensive runs saved (DRS). McMahon had played just 292 1/3 innings at that position. Cronenworth had six in 472 innings.

“I'd be lying if I haven't thought about man, especially thinking about it being at Coors Field,” McMahon said. “That'd be a really cool thing. But I'm just trying to take it day to day.

“I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it. You know, my family is doing a pretty good job, keeping me updated and things like that, in our family group chats and different things like that. So it's hard to ignore.”

A spate of hits could help McMachon, who struggled during the last road trip for a 4-for-20 performance, although half of his hits were home runs and he drove in six runs. A seven-game homestand could help.

“’Mac’ has shown some power with the home runs,” manager Bud Black said. “I know his average has dipped a little bit. Slugging percentage is fine, OPS is over .800. I still think there’s a little surge in ‘Mac’ here before all this is said and done before the All-Star break.

“His defensive work has been outstanding at two positions. So he has a lot going for him.”

The benefit of confidence
Shortstop Trevor Story entered Monday 1-for-14 after his return from missing 11 games with a right elbow injury. He had gone 12-for-58 (.207) in 15 games before the injury.

It’s good Story has a couple All-Star Games and years of production behind him.

“It's different from guy to guy but for me, I try to detach myself from those numbers, and make it about the process for me,” Story said. “It's something that if I feel like I get, if I can master that and feel good about my process, the results will come.

“I’m confident in that, for sure, knowing that baseball is a game of ups and downs. Sometimes they last a little longer than you want, but I feel good about that. I’m looking forward to coming on the other side of that.”

The issue, as is the case with most slumps, is timing. Story believes he has missed pitches he usually hits. While he took batting practice with a pitcher at a short distance throwing hard, adjustment to game speed has not been quick.

Joe feeling sharper
Infielder-outfielder Connor Joe was doing more sitting than was good for his career, so the Rockies optioned him to Triple-A Albuquerque on June 1. He went 6-for-25 with three doubles, a home run and six RBIs before returning on June 9. With playing time being sporadic in the Majors, Joe, a rookie, said Black and the coaches were clear about their plans with him.

“Buddy is great,” Joe said. “It was me and the rest of the staff and Buddy in there, and he told me they wanted me to get more consistent at-bats to kickstart me at the plate. They told me exactly what I needed to hear.

“It’s about timing. It’s tough to refine your timing off the machine or at batting practice. To get real at-bats and to see live pitching, you get some feedback.”