Twins’ Joe Ryan Suffers Grade 2 Teres Major Strain, Could Miss Remainder of 2024 Season
It’ll likely be a while before Joe Ryan is back pitching off a mound again.
The Minnesota Twins hurler was placed on the 15-day IL Friday after an MRI revealed a Grade 2 teres-major strain in his right arm. He departed Wednesday’s contest against the Chicago Cubs with triceps tightness following 33 pitches over two-plus innings.
Along with Ryan, the club also placed infielder Brooks Lee on the 10-day IL with right biceps tendinitis and transferred right-hander Brock Stewart – who’s headed for season-ending shoulder surgery – to the 60-day IL.
Minnesota is getting an infielder back off the IL, with Kyle Farmer now reinstated. They also selected the contract of right-hander Scott Blewett from Triple-A St. Paul and have recalled fellow righty Louie Varland to serve as the 27th man for Friday’s double-header versus the Cleveland Guardians.
The Twins initially believed Ryan had avoided a serious injury, hoping he’d only miss a few starts. However, upon further testing, there’s now considerable doubt about whether the 28-year-old will return before the regular season concludes.
Manager Rocco Baldelli said the right-hander will almost certainly be sidelined for “weeks to months” while speaking to reporters Friday morning.
Ryan has been a pivotal force for a Twins rotation that lost Sonny Gray to the St. Louis Cardinals in free agency last winter, leading the club in quality starts (13), innings pitched (135) and strikeouts (147) this season. He’s completed six innings or more in 15 of his 23 outings thus far.
The seventh-round selection from 2018 has also set multiple career bests with his xERA (2.88), FIP (3.45), walk rate (4.3%) and fWAR (3.1). Additionally, he owns a 7-7 record and a 3.60 ERA during his fourth major league season.
Injuries had already depleted the Twins’ starting rotation before Ryan hit the IL, with Anthony DeSclafani (flexor tendon surgery) and Chris Paddack (forearm strain) out long-term. But it’s one thing to replace a pair of depth starters. It’s another to potentially carry on the rest of the way without one of your best pitchers.
Ryan’s absence will likely cause many to further scrutinize management’s inability to acquire a starting pitcher ahead of last month’s trade deadline. Instead, they struck a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays for reliever Trevor Richards, who struggled to a 13.06 ERA and 7.53 FIP over 10 outings in July prior to being acquired.
That misstep has left Minnesota’s starting five incredibly vulnerable, with ace Pablo López having to carry the freight for a staff that includes Bailey Ober and rookies Simeon Woods Richardson and David Festa.
Varland could be an option to fill Ryan’s spot, as he’s already made six appearances (five starts, six after Friday) in the majors this season. But the 26-year-old hasn’t fared overly well thus far, pitching to an inflated 6.58 ERA and 5.75 FIP across 26 innings.
While the Twins entered Friday’s double-header in a playoff spot, holding a half-game lead over the Kansas City Royals for the second AL wild-card seed, there’ll surely be tough sledding ahead for their injury-riddled pitching staff over these final two months.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: Jonathan Miske. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.