On Tuesday night, for the seventh time in nine games the Minnesota Twins failed to win a game. A far greater loss occured well before first pitch, though, as Joe Ryan was ruled out for the remainder of the regular season.
Ryan has been out since the beginning of August when he left his start against the Chicago Cubs early. He was diagnosed with a severe teres strain, Grade 2 to be specific, and was placed on the 15-day IL.
As has been the case for most of the season, the Twins timeline for his return was wonky as he it was initially reported that Ryan could miss "weeks-to-months" with the injury. It turns out, after much deliberating and a second opinion, that it will be the latter.
Twins transfer Joe Ryan to 60-day IL and end his regular season
The Twins officially transferred Joe Ryan to the 60-day IL, ending his regular season and taking him off the board in terms of being able to help the team's playoff push. It doesn't, however, end his entire season as Ryan would be eligble to come back on October 7th and pitch in the ALDS.
That's getting way ahead of ourselves, though, and misses the larger point that Minnesota's path a postseason run just got lot harder. To be clear, the Twins are likely to make the playoffs, as they have a four game lead on Boston for the final Wild Card spot and a near-90 percent chance of punching a ticket.
It's what happens once they get there that has fans nervous.
Right now the Twins would face a Wild Card series against the Astros, the team that has ended their last two trips to the postseason. Since Minnesota dropped to the No. 6 seed, it would be a road series in Houston, making things even harder.
Without Joe Ryan to help, the hill might be too steep to climb.
It's tough to call it a blessing, but one of the things to come out of Ryan's injury is the rise of Zebby Matthews. The Twins called up their top pitching prospect to help make up the difference in the rotation and so far he's looked fantastic.
In classic Twins fashion, though, Zebby's rise as a top young pitcher is likely to have a greater impact on the future beyond this season rather than in October. Minnesota isn't going to be canon fodder if it reaches the postseason, as the rotation is arguably in better shape than it was back in 2019 against the Yankees, but losing Ryan is a serious blow.
The team still has loads of talent, and should be getting both Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa back soon, but they're simply running out of gas before reaching the finish line. Coasting into October on fumes is looking like a real possibilty, and not having Ryan available is yet another blow for a team that can't afford to sustain too many more.
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