CHICAGO -- Hard-throwing right-hander J.T. Chargois has already made his Major League debut this season, and now he will represent the Twins in the 2016 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, to be held on July 10 at Petco Park in San Diego.
Chargois, 25, has been named one of 10 pitchers on the U.S. roster after buzzing through the top two levels of the Minor Leagues and making his debut on June 11, against the Red Sox.
"The reports on him have been solid in terms of development the last few years," manager Paul Molitor said on Tuesday prior to the series opener against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. "Everyone knows he's knocking on the door. He's got high-end ability."
Futures Game rosters and scouting reports
Chargois was Minnesota's second-round pick out of Rice University in the 2012 Draft. He missed two full seasons with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery, but he quickly made his way up through the Twins' system when he returned.
This season Chargois, the Twins' ninth-ranked prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, has pitched in Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Rochester. At those two levels, he combined to go 1-0 with a 1.12 ERA and 12 saves. Through 17 relief appearances with Rochester, he's 1-0 with a 0.89 ERA and 0.984 WHIP, and has a 26-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Chargois allowed five runs in just two-thirds of an inning against the Red Sox in his debut and was optioned to Rochester just two days later. Molitor, however, expects him to pitch his way back to Minnesota somewhat soon.
"He had one appearance up here, and it's kind of unfair that he didn't get more, but that's just kind of the way it worked out according to what we needed to do," Molitor said. "He's just kind of learning a little bit more about how to use his stuff, those type of things, but if he gets that opportunity [to pitch in the Futures Game], I'm happy for him. Well deserved. We'll see him along the way. As long as he stays healthy, he'll be here in time."
Chargois is the 31st Twins prospect to be selected for a Futures Game roster. Those who preceded him include Jose Berrios, Max Kepler, Trevor May, Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton. Kepler and May didn't participate because of injuries, but Buxton played in the 2013 game, held at Citi Field in New York, and enjoyed the experience.
"I was just trying to take it all in, because that's a once-in-a-lifetime thing, being able to be selected to go to a Futures Game like that, and go out there with the best of the best and compete against each other," Buxton said. "It was just an unbelievable experience going out there and playing in front of that many fans. That was incredible."