The Minnesota Twins have kept All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton out of Thursday's starting lineup due to a bruised left hand.

The Twins held All-Star centerfielder Byron Buxton out of the starting lineup on Thursday against the Cubs due to a bruised left hand that is not expected keep him out of action for long.

Minnesota Twins All-Star Byron Buxton exited Wednesday's game with a left hand contusion after being hit by a pitch from Chicago Cubs starter Cade Horton.

After being snubbed over the weekend despite some very impressive numbers, pitcher Joe Ryan was slowly starting to feel at peace with not being selected to compete in the All Star Game. Never mind that he believed that he had more than earned the right to pitch next week in the Midsummer Classic alongside his peers.

While multiple position players have been named replacements this week, Ryan was the first AL pitcher to be added.

MINNEAPOLIS — Twins outfielder Byron Buxton has a traveling companion for next week’s All-Star Game back in his home state of Georgia: Pitcher and teammate Joe Ryan on Wednesday was named an injury replacement for the American League team.

From there, a combination of Brock Stewart, Cole Sands, and Griffin Jax kept the Cubs off the board through the top of the 8th. The Twins lineup didn’t do much in innings 2-7, but finally broke through again against Porter Hodge in the 8th inning.

Ryan Jeffers went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs, and the Minnesota Twins used a six-run eighth inning to surge to an 8-1 win over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night in Minneapolis.