Which Twins players are making a case to be in the All-Star Game?

There's still a lot of baseball to be played before the 2025 MLB All-Star Game in Atlanta on July 15, but the first phase of fan voting begins this Wednesday. With the calendar about to flip to June, it feels like a good time to take stock of which Minnesota Twins players are making a case to be selected for this year's American League roster.

Looking likely

RP Jhoan Duran

Duran has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball this year. He's allowed just three earned runs in 26.1 innings, good for a 1.03 ERA that ranks third among AL relievers with at least 20 innings pitched. He has nine saves, four wins, 31 strikeouts, and hasn't allowed a home run all year. If he keeps producing at this level, he should have a good shot at making his first All-Star team.

SP Joe Ryan

Ryan, who has been the Twins' best starting pitcher, would be another first-time All-Star. Through 11 appearances, his 2.57 ERA ranks tenth among qualified AL starters. He has 72 strikeouts and just nine walks; the only other AL pitcher with at least 70 Ks and fewer than 10 walks is Detroit's Tarik Skubal (92 to 7), who might repeat as the Cy Young winner. Ryan's 0.83 WHIP is second among AL starters and his .191 opponent batting average is third. There are a lot of good starting pitchers in the AL, but Ryan should make the team if he continues to produce in June.

Maybe

CF Byron Buxton

The Twins' best hitter this year, Buxton would be in the tier above if he hadn't just missed two full weeks on the concussion IL. Heading into play on Saturday night, he has an .828 OPS with 10 home runs and nine stolen bases while playing elite defense in center field. Maybe he should still be in the above tier; according to Fangraphs, Buxton's 1.9 WAR trails only Aaron Judge and Ryan O'Hearn among AL outfielders. His counting stats took a bit of a hit with his two-week absence, but Buxton's all-around game could definitely earn him a second All-Star selection if he has a strong June.

SP Pablo Lopez

Lopez hasn't been quite as good as Ryan, but he isn't far behind. Across ten starts, he has a 2.75 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 55.2 innings. He went 17 days between starts in April due to a hamstring injury, and as mentioned earlier, there's a lot of competition among AL starting pitchers. Nonetheless, Lopez absolutely can make the team if he keeps pitching well.

Not impossible

SP Bailey Ober

The final member of the Twins' oustanding top three in their rotation is Ober, who has — for the second year in a row — settled into a groove after an ugly first start. He allowed eight earned runs in 2.2 innings against the Cardinals in his season debut, but has allowed just 14 in 55.1 frames for a 2.28 ERA since then, bringing his season ERA down to 3.41 heading into his start on Saturday night. His WHIP and strikeout numbers aren't great, so he'll have to avoid any further slip-ups to have an outside chance.

SS Carlos Correa

This is an extreme long shot given how poorly Correa started the year. Even after hitting a huge home run in Friday night's epic win in Seattle, he still has just a .679 OPS. But the three-team All-Star has been heating up in a big way lately. He's hit .353/.389/.608 with four homers over his last 15 games, raising his OPS 133 points in the process. The former Platinum Glove winner also remains one of the best defensive shortstops on the planet. If he stays red hot in June, he has a chance.

Not happening, but worth mentioning

LF Harrison Bader

Bader has been incredible for the Twins as a low-cost free agent addition. He has a .792 OPS while also playing outstanding defense, mostly in left field. Baseball Reference gives him 1.8 WAR, which is tied with Buxton for the team lead among position players. Bader won't have the box score numbers to be an All-Star, but he's been huge for the Twins through the first two months.

RP Griffin Jax

Right now, at this very moment, Jax might even be more trustworthy than Duran out of Minnesota's bullpen. Over his last 16.2 innings pitched, he has a 1.08 ERA with 29 strikeouts and two walks. Unfortunately, Jax — who arguably should've been an All-Star last year — got off to an ugly start and thus won't have the overall numbers to be in consideration.

The Twins have had exactly two All-Stars in each of the last four years, with no repeats during that span. They last had three All-Stars in 2019. 32 players will be selected to the AL roster (20 position players, 12 pitchers), though others can be added as replacements.