When asked about his All-Star nod over the weekend, Joe Ryan focused on his team’s offense and the upcoming schedule instead of himself. He hoped aloud that the Minnesota Twins could play well enough in July to force the front office to add to a group many current players describe as the most fun team they’ve played on.Then Ryan played his part in achieving those goals Sunday, posting a dominant performance in New York. Ryan struck out nine over seven shutout innings, and the Twins offense produced again in a 6-1 win over the New York Yankees, one that clinched Minnesota’s first series victory in the Bronx since 2014.Ryan’s showing on the big stage is the latest in what’s been an All-Star performance on and off the field in 2026.All season long, Ryan’s been under a microscope.Even though talks with the Boston Red Sox at last year’s deadline never got close, the confusion provided by an incorrect tweet announcing Ryan’s trade to New England put the pitcher at the top of every trade list before the season even began.Following up on three bold MLB predictionsAndy McCulloughAfter the Twins dealt 10 players last season and did little to enhance their roster in the offseason, the thinking has been that Ryan would surely be traded this season. He’s been clear that he wants a contract extension, and with him already 30 years old, a long-term deal that would take him past his mid-30s isn’t easy for the Twins to absorb. That makes the trade speculation reasonable.Ryan’s aware of all of this. And that’s where he’s truly proving to be an All-Star.Despite the intense scrutiny, Ryan is performing and, more importantly, staying present with the upstart Twins.Though Ryan thought he might be traded during the offseason, there were no second thoughts about rejoining the Twins. Once he returned, Ryan was going to make the most of this situation and let it all play out.Thus far, Ryan is starring for the Twins and providing a much-needed ace in the wake of Pablo López’s season-ending injury. But even more than just doing his part on the mound, Ryan has invested in this team both publicly and behind the scenes.Ryan absolutely wanted to be an All-Star. He asked reporters in Houston if they knew anything about the process. Yet when it came time to discuss what is clearly important to him, Ryan mostly talked about the American League’s top offense and putting pressure on the front office to add ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.“We’ve got a good stretch this month ahead of us to put our foot down and put ourselves in a spot to add in a month,” Ryan told reporters. “Keep going from there and play baseball as long as we can this year, keep it rolling.”From Opening Day through a sharp outing in New York, Ryan’s been rolling as the Twins have stayed relevant in the middling American League.Ryan owns a 3.36 ERA with 122 strikeouts in 104 1/3 innings. Every fifth day, he gives the Twins belief they’ve got a chance to win.Ryan would love nothing more than to help convince the front office to add and give this team a chance down the stretch. Adding Sonny Gray and whatever flame-throwing relief pitcher is available would be just fine.The current conversation is far more appealing than one where the focus is on potential trade destinations for Ryan — and it’s one he’s helping drive.Here’s several more thoughts on the Twins after a strong weekend in New York:— Byron Buxton exited Sunday’s game in the first inning with a recurrence of his right hip injury after he singled and was thrown out stealing second base. Buxton was replaced in center by Kyler Fedko in the bottom of the first inning.Buxton rejoined the Twins on Saturday after missing the team’s previous four games with a right hip impingement. Earlier this season, he missed five games with hip inflammation and didn’t appear in center field for the better part of two weeks.While Buxton will undoubtedly want to play with the Cleveland Guardians in town starting Tuesday, the team should at least consider placing him on the IL ahead of the final six games before the All-Star break to give him a 12-day window to rest and treat a hip that’s bugged him routinely the past five seasons.Doing so would eliminate Buxton from playing in the All-Star Game, which would be unfortunate. But Buxton has already suggested he’s not going to participate in the Home Run Derby after doing it last year, in part because of the hip soreness he’s dealt with for nearly two months.— The Twins are scratching a lottery ticket and hoping it delivers them another bullpen arm. The team acquired right-hander Woo-Suk Go from the Detroit Tigers on Sunday and will add him to the major-league roster on Tuesday, a team source said.The minor-league contract signed by Go, who has a 2.60 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings at Triple-A Toledo this season, included an assignment clause, which means any team that wanted to add him to its big league roster could force the Tigers to decide whether to add him to theirs.The Tigers passed on adding Go, who has spent time in the minors with the Miami Marlins, San Diego Padres and Tigers since 2024, freeing him up to join the Twins.Go throws a four-seam fastball, curveball and cut-fastball. One of his biggest concerns is his command, as he has walked 60 batters across 136 minor-league innings.— One reason the Twins’ offense continues to thrive is its ability to hit with two outs and runners in scoring position.Two-out, run-scoring hits are back-breakers for opposing pitchers. The Twins have been particularly good in these situations throughout the season, and that continued Sunday.As he’s done several times this season, Josh Bell delivered again in the first inning to give the Twins an early lead with a single to deep right.Four innings after Bell, Royce Lewis broke the game open with a two-out, two-run single to make it a 4-0 lead.The Twins entered Sunday hitting .246/.347/.416 with two outs and runners in scoring position, fifth-best in the league. The league’s OPS with two outs and runners in scoring position is .709, with the Twins’ .763 a little more than 50 points shy of the No. 1-ranked Philadelphia Phillies (.816).