Team USA got to Houston for the World Baseball Classic with the best American baseball team to ever play in a sanctioned international tournament, and it includes Minnesota Twins star center fielder Byron Buxton.
Unfortunately, there was another American-born MN Twin who was supposed to be in Houston for the WBC this spring. Unfortunately, Olympian Joe Ryan was a late scratch from the American roster, after he suffered a minor back injury before his first Grapefruit League start, back in February.
USA advances to knockout round of WBC thanks to Italy
On Wednesday night, Team USA advanced to the WBC knockout round, out of Group B, on the back of Team Italy, who destroyed Team Mexico 9-1. The blowout victory eliminated the Mexicans from the tournament, while pushed both the Italians and Americans through to the next phase.
Team USA started pool play 3-0, then celebrated like they were already advanced to the elimination round. Whether they realized it or not, their extremely late night turned into an 8-6 loss to Team Italy, meaning a low-scoring Mexico win last night would have eliminated the Americans in embarrassing fashion.
After his three-homer performance powered the Italians to their USA-friendly beat down of Team Mexico, 28-year-old Royals Italian slugger Vinnie Pasquantino told his friends playing for the United States, “You’re welcome.”
A THREE-HOMER GAME FOR VINNIE PASQUANTINO 🤌🤌🤌 pic.twitter.com/lIS854ULAA
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 12, 2026
Vinnie Pasquantino: “You’re welcome, USA” pic.twitter.com/3UoQVGuITc
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 12, 2026
Eight teams remain in contention for the 2026 WBC crown, heading into bracket play. Team USA will be thrown into the fire immediately when the tournament resumes on Friday night, against an incredibly-worthy foe in Team Canada.
Before their first round matchup tomorrow, Korea will play against the Dominican Republic, on the same side of the bracket. The winners will advance to the semifinals against each other.
On the other side of the bracket, Puerto Rico will play vs Italy on Saturday, followed by Venezuela vs Shohei Ohtani and defending WBC Champs, Japan.
Team USA to call Minnesota Twins ace Joe Ryan…?
But the Americans have a problem. The lower pitchers on their totem pole are not getting enough innings to satisfy their Major League teams, who need them simultaneously ramping up for the start of the MLB season, in just a couple weeks.
Thus, multiple pitchers are on their way back to camp, including Tarik Skubal, Michael Wacha and Ryan Yarbrough. They are being replaced by Will Fest (Tigers), Tyler Rogers (Blue Jays) and Tim Hill (Yankees).
Thursday morning, Jon Heyman (NY Post & MLB Network), reported that Team USA is expected to lose Matthew Boyd (Cubs) and Clay Holmes (Mets), as well. And the pitcher Heyman said the Americans were considering to replace them was Minnesota Twins starter, Joe Ryan.
A little while later, news broke that Ryan is in fact heading to Houston, where he is lined up to start the Championship game on Tuesday, if Team USA makes it that far.
Minnesota Twins starter Joe Ryan will also join the team, replacing Clayton Kershaw after quarterfinals https://t.co/e8waVsSxvs
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 12, 2026
Joe Ryan will replace Clayton Kershaw on Team USA’s WBC roster after the quarterfinal, per @BNightengale
Ryan would be lined up to pitch in the championship game pic.twitter.com/7bTXPO1rVj
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 12, 2026
Since being scratched from his first Grapefruit League start in February, Joe Ryan has taken the mound just one time in a Minnesota Twins uniform so far this spring down in Florida. It came just two days ago, Tuesday in Port Charlotte vs the Tampa Bay Rays.
Ryan went 3.0 innings and allowed just two hits in this week’s 2026 debut, but he also walked two and struck out zero Rays hitters in those three innings, which is weird for Joe.
Why Team USA would tap Joe Ryan
Of course, that was only his first start of the spring. Nonetheless, if you are Team USA, can you trust Joe Ryan to be a better version of himself in his second mound appearance of the year? Obviously, American manager Mark DeRosa thinks so… and I can’t blame him.
Joe Ryan gave the Twins the type of start they badly needed with six scoreless innings. He struck out eight, allowed three hits and pitched around two errors.
Willi Castro hit a two-out RBI single off George Kirby, in an eight-pitch AB, for a 1-0 lead. pic.twitter.com/yxQ9EGbDWU
— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) June 26, 2025
Not only did Joe Ryan post a 3.42 ERA in 171 innings last season — striking out 194 batters and walking just 39 — the 29-year-old has more international experience than most of the American stars down in Houston.
Joe pitched for Team USA in the 2020 Olympics, where he recorded a 1.74 ERA in 10.1 innings pitched, helping lead Team USA to a silver medal. The fell to Japan in the Gold Medal game.
Joe Ryan set a 🔥 standard on the mound for #TeamUSA today.
His final line in our #Olympics opener: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 5K pic.twitter.com/VGq1wpytXS
— USA Baseball (@USABaseball) July 30, 2021
More must-reads:
- MN Twins Starter Changes WBC Plan Again
- Byron Buxton Won’t Start for Team USA vs Canada
- MN Twins Cut Two 1st Round Prospects from Big League Camp
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