The Minnesota Twins are expected to place right-handed starting pitcher Joe Ryan on the injured list after an MRI revealed he suffered a left glute strain, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. Right-handed starting pitcher Zebby Matthews was scratched from his scheduled start on Thursday, so he will likely take Ryan's spot in the rotation.
Good thing the Twins acquired Dean Kremer from the Baltimore Orioles ahead of the trade deadline. If Minnesota hadn't acquired Kremer, the rotation would be in a bad spot. Mike Paredes appears likely to miss the rest of the season after being placed on the 60-day injured list. That leaves Kendry Rojas, who is currently in Triple-A, as the only arm on the 40-man roster whom the Twins can count on to start. However, Rojas typically throws just 4-5 innings per start and has mainly been used as a reliever in the majors.
Minnesota may go back to developing Rojas as a full-time starter now that the club's bullpen is in a much better spot with the additions of Jeff Hoffman and A.J. Minter. But if the Twins prefer Rojas as a reliever long-term, the next man up if the Twins suffer another starting pitching injury could be underrated right-hander Ryan Gallagher.
Minnesota acquired Gallagher, 23, from the Chicago Cubs for utilityman Willi Castro as part of last summer's infamous trade deadline fire sale. The Twins also received right-hander Sam Armstrong in the deal.
Twins look like winners of Willi Castro trade with Cubs
Even though neither Gallagher nor Armstrong has reached the majors, the Twins appear to be the winners of this deal. Castro posted -0.5 bWAR and a .170/.245/.240 slash line over 34 games with the Cubs before becoming a free agent this past offseason. Meanwhile, Armstrong isn't among the Twins' top-30 prospects, but Gallagher is the team's No. 15 overall prospect and has looked sharp for Triple-A St. Paul lately.
In 21 2/3 innings across four starts since the All-Star break, Gallagher has allowed six runs on 15 hits and seven walks with 24 strikeouts. In his last start, Gallagher allowed just one run on three hits and one walk with nine strikeouts over six innings.
Ryan Gallagher has been on fire since the All-Star Break…recording his longest outing of the season and his most strikeouts in a game 😈
— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) August 6, 2026
6 IP / 3 H / 1 R / 1 BB / 9 K
In four starts since the break, he has a 2.49 ERA with a 2.91 FIP 📈#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/1cVZPyI6JN
The Twins would need to remove someone from the 40-man roster to clear a spot for Gallagher. The looming lockout may be another reason for Minnesota to keep him in the minors, as players off the 40-man roster should still be able to play minor-league baseball if part or all of the 2027 MLB season is canceled. However, if another starting pitcher goes down, the Twins may have no choice but to promote him to the majors.
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