Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan exited Sunday's 4-3 win against the Toronto Blue Jays with right elbow soreness after facing just two batters. The severity of Ryan's injury has yet to be made public. Twins manager Derek Shelton commented on the injury scare but didn't reveal much.
“We got imaging. We’ll kind of evaluate from there,” Shelton said to reporters, including the Pioneer Press' Betsy Helfand. “We have the off day (Monday), and then we’ll go off that.”
We may have to wait until Tuesday to hear how long Ryan will be sidelined. An IL stint for the righty is almost guaranteed. Minnesota likely hopes Ryan just has mild elbow inflammation, which wouldn't keep him out for long. Twins starting pitcher Mick Abel landed on the 15-day IL with elbow inflammation on April 20 and already threw a bullpen session on Friday.
In the worst-case scenario, Ryan suffered a torn UCL and will need Tommy John surgery. If that's the case, Ryan would miss the rest of the season and the beginning of next. Losing Ryan for the year would be a tough pill for the Twins to swallow, as fellow top-of-the-rotation starter Pablo López is out for the season after undergoing elbow surgery.
If Ryan, who is under team control through next season, undergoes season-ending surgery, the Twins would lose their top trade chip this summer. Sure, the Twins can still turn their season around. But with a 15-20 record, a bullpen that's a complete mess and core hitters struggling immensely, a postseason berth seems unlikely. Season-ending surgery for Ryan would mean that the righty will most likely finish out his contract as a Twin.
How will Twins' starting rotation look with Ryan sidelined?
Upon returning from the IL, Abel could easily take Ryan's spot in the rotation. But Abel likely still has to make a rehab start. Before reinstating Abel, Minnesota may have Andrew Morris, who threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of Ryan on Sunday, take Ryan's rotation spot. The Twins could also recall righty Zebby Matthews, who has a 2.37 ERA over his last four starts with Triple-A St. Paul.
Many speculated that Simeons Woods Richardson, who has a 6.49 ERA over 34 2/3 innings this year, would lose his rotation spot upon Abel's return. But now that Ryan is likely headed to the IL, Woods Richardson has a much better chance of keeping his role. When Abel returns, the Twins' rotation will likely consist of Abel, Woods Richardson, Taj Bradley, Bailey Ober and Connor Prielipp.
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