The Minnesota Twins have suffered another significant blow to their rotation as starting pitcher Joe Ryan has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to a severe muscle strain in his throwing shoulder. This injury couldn’t come at a worse time, with the Twins entering a critical homestand against key division rivals and playoff contenders.
Ryan has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain of the teres major, a muscle connecting the shoulder blade to the upper arm. Manager Rocco Baldelli announced that Ryan will be out for “weeks to months,” but he hasn’t completely ruled out the possibility of Ryan returning before the season ends.
With a 7-7 record, a 3.60 ERA, and 147 strikeouts over 135 innings this season, Ryan has been a crucial part of the Twins’ rotation. However, he experienced pain and discomfort during his last start on Wednesday, which led to his early exit from the game.
“It’s a punch in the gut,” Baldelli said. “He’ll need time to heal, and he’ll do everything he can to get back, but this is going to take a while.”
Ryan is planning to get a second opinion before the team sets a recovery timeline, with less than seven weeks remaining in the regular season.
The Twins are already dealing with the absence of starting pitcher Chris Paddack, who has been sidelined for three weeks with a strained forearm. While his return is still uncertain, Derek Falvey, the Twins’ president of baseball operations, mentioned that Paddack might soon start a throwing program, with hopes of returning before the end of the season.
The team’s decision not to acquire additional starting pitchers before the trade deadline now leaves them relying on rookies David Festa and Simeon Woods Richardson to support Pablo López and Bailey Ober in the rotation.
“When you reach the deadline and things don’t go as planned, you know you’ll have to lean on your internal guys,” Falvey said. “We believe in our internal group, and we’re confident they can step up and play a role down the stretch.”
Louie Varland has been called up from Triple-A St. Paul to start the second game of the doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians, who came into the series with a 3½-game lead over the Twins in the division race.
“You can’t plan for injuries, but hindsight is always clearer,” López said. “Teams that acquire players at the deadline and then deal with injuries are usually able to hold on a bit longer.”
Adding to the Twins’ injury woes, rookie infielder Brooks Lee was placed on the 10-day injured list due to right biceps tendinitis. Infielder Kyle Farmer, who had missed 18 games with a strained right shoulder, was activated early from his rehab assignment to replace Lee.
The Twins also promoted reliever Scott Blewett from Triple-A St. Paul and moved reliever Brock Stewart to the 60-day injured list after he was diagnosed with a condition requiring arthroscopic shoulder surgery, effectively ending his season.
There was a bit of good news, as center fielder Byron Buxton returned on Friday after missing three games due to a back injury sustained in a collision with the outfield wall. However, All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa, who has been out for nearly a month with plantar fasciitis in his right foot, remains sidelined with no rehab assignment yet scheduled.
“I don’t know if Carlos will ever feel 100%, but at this stage of the season, I’m not sure how many players actually are,” Falvey said. “We trust Carlos to gauge when he’s ready to return.”
Correa shared that he has started sprinting without significant pain but will wait to see how his foot responds in the coming days before deciding if he’s ready for the next step.
“We were hoping I’d be back sooner, but we’re doing everything we can to get back on the field,” Correa said. “There’s nothing I want more than to be out there with the guys again. I’m looking forward to that day.”
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