  We calculate the next-to-leading-order cross section for the inclusive
production of $\Lambda_b$ baryons in pp collisions in the general-mass
variable-flavor-number scheme. We use realistic evolved non-perturbative
fragmentation functions obtained from fits to B-meson production in $e^+ e^-$
annihilation and compare our results for transverse-momentum and rapidity
distributions with recent experimental data from the CMS and the LHCb
collaborations at the CERN LHC. We find satisfactory agreement in general, with
some indication for the need to modify the available fragmentation functions at
larger values of the scale variable.
