In this file photo Canadian national team pitcher William Andrew Albers throws to the U.S. during the gold medal baseball game at the Pan American Games in Lagos De Moreno, Jalisco October 25, 2011. The Minnesota Twins called up Albers from Triple-A Rochester on Friday.HENRY ROMERO/Reuters
The Minnesota Twins will replace one Canadian on their major-league roster with another as the team announced it will select the contract of left-handed pitcher Andrew Albers from triple-A Rochester on Saturday.
Albers, a native of North Battleford, Sask., will take the place of left-handed pitcher Scott Diamond of Guelph, Ont., who was demoted to triple-A following the Twins' 7-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals Thursday.
Through 22 starts with the Red Wings this season, Albers is 11-5 with a 2.86 earned-run average. He leads the International League in strikeouts with 116.
Albers will become the 18th Canadian to appear on a major-league roster this season when he joins the Twins on Saturday. He is scheduled to make his first big league start on Tuesday at Kansas City.
The 27-year-old is a veteran of the national team program, winning gold with Canada at the 2011 Pan-Am Games, and pitching three innings in Canada's 10-3 win over Mexico at the 2013 World Baseball Classic.