The Brief

The Minnesota Twins announced Wednesday pitcher Joe Ryan is headed to his first MLB All-Star Game.

He’s replacing Houston Astros pitcher Hunter Brown.

Ryan is 8-4 in 17 starts with a 2.76 ERA.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Joe Ryan is headed to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game after all.

After not being selected to the initial All-Star list last week, Ryan on Wednesday was selected to the American League All-Star team. He will be replacing Houston Astros pitcher Hunter Brown.

Joe Ryan’s first All-Star Game

What we know:

It is the first All-Star selection for Ryan, who is in his fifth season with the Twins. Ryan is 8-4 on the season in 17 starts with a 2.76 earned run average in 104.1 innings. He has 116 strikeouts and just 21 walks.

Most importantly, he’s been a mainstay in the Twins’ starting rotation since Pablo Lopez went down with a strained shoulder, and isn’t expected to return until sometime in September. Ryan will join Byron Buxton at MLB’s mid-summer classic.

Buxton leaves Wednesday’s game against Cubs

Why you should care:

Twins’ fans got a bit of a scare Wednesday as Buxton left the game after less than a full inning.

He was hit by a pitch on his left hand, finished the inning by scoring a run but was replaced defensively by Brooks Lee. The Twins said Buxton suffered a hand contusion, and X-rays showed no fractures.

He’s considered day-to-day.

Buxton is headed to his second career All-Star Game as he’s played in 74 games and is hitting .270 with 20 home runs and 53 RBI.

Buxton announced he will participate in the Home Run Derby. We’ll see if being hit by a pitch changes that at all.