Twins Territory was in panic mode when Joe Ryan exited his Sunday start against the Toronto Blue Jays with right elbow soreness after facing just two batters. The fact that he left the game in the first inning signified that he was almost certainly headed to the IL. The real question was how severe the injury was. Luckily, a recent report from The Athletic's Dan Hayes revealed not only that Ryan won't miss significant time, but also that he may not even need an IL stint.
Joe Ryan played catch today, scheduled for a bullpen tomorrow. Got clean MRI on Sunday. #MNTwins
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) May 5, 2026
Ryan’s health update gives Twins fans glimpse of hope
With Pablo López missing the entire season after undergoing elbow surgery in February, Walker Jenkins set to miss time after suffering a joint sprain in his left shoulder on Sunday, and right-handed pitchers Mick Abel and David Festa sidelined with injuries, it felt like Ryan was destined to join the large number of important Twins players on the IL. The Twins caught a huge break with Ryan's latest injury update.
Realistically speaking, the Twins won't make the playoffs this year and will be sellers at the Trade Deadline. However, Minnesota is only 2 1/2 games back of the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians despite a poor 15-20 record. The Twins' bullpen may be a mess, and several core position players may be underperforming, but a postseason berth is certainly possible. With Ryan healthy, there's at least a glimmer of hope that Minnesota could make a surprising playoff run.
Ryan could be MLB's best player moved at Trade Deadline
If the Twins perform as expected over the next few months, then the Twins will at least have several valuable players they will likely deal ahead of the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline. Assuming Ryan, who is under team control through the 2027 season, remains healthy, he should be Minnesota's, if not MLB's, most sought-after player this summer. Other star pitchers who may be on the trade market this summer include Sandy Alcantara and Freddy Peralta.
Over 38 2/3 innings this season, Ryan, 29, has posted a 3.72 ERA with a 25.5% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. Ryan had the best season of his career in 2025, making his first All-Star appearance and posting a 3.42 ERA with a 28.2% strikeout rate and 5.7% walk rate across 171 innings. He holds a career 3.79 ERA with a 27.5% strikeout rate and 5.7% walk rate across 680 innings since making his MLB debut in 2021.
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