Byron Buxton Voted as All Star Starter; Joe Ryan also Returning to the All Star Game

Make that All-Star starting outfielder Byron Buxton.

The Minnesota Twins’ center fielder and right-handed starter Joe Ryan on Saturday were named to the AL team for the July 14 All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Buxton was voted in as a starting outfielder. Buxton and Ryan will be joined by manager Derek Shelton, in his first season leading Minnesota and who was selected to be on the coaching staff for the AL by John Schneider of the Toronto Blue Jays.

This is Buxton’s third selection, having also had the honor in 2022 and last year. Buxton, who missed four games with a hip injury before returning to the Twins’ lineup Saturday, is having one of his best seasons of his 12-year career, putting up a slash line of .268/.325/.573 with 25 homers and 45 RBIs entering play Saturday. Buxton’s 25 homers are tied for fourth in MLB. 

Joe Ryan is making his second straight appearance in the All-Star Game. He has a 3.61 ERA in an MLB-leading 18 starts over 97 1/3 innings, with a 5.5% walk rate and 28.3% strikeout rate. 

Former Twins also making the trip to the All-Star Game are Philadelphia Phillies right-handed closer Jhoan Duran, San Francisco Giants second baseman Luis Arraez, Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Louis Varland and fellow Minnesotan and former Gopher pitcher Max Meyer of the Miami Marlins.

Buxton was a reserve last year, too, when the game was played in Atlanta, near his hometown of Baxley, Ga. He went 1-for-2 with a ninth-inning double off Robert Suarez and scored a run as the AL tied the game 6-6 and forced a decisive swing-off, won by the NL.

The nine starters for each team were determined by two rounds of fan balloting, with Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement getting automatically selected to start by virtue of leading the first round in the NL and AL, respectively. The 23 reserves, which includes 12 pitchers as that position is not up for voting, are selected by player voting and the Commissioner's Office, which ensures that each team has a representative in the game.