Joe Ryan injury update: Twins ace grateful to 'dodge a bullet' with elbow
Joe Ryan threw a scare into the Twins on Sunday, when he exited his start against the Blue Jays after just two batters and nine pitches.
WASHINGTON – Joe Ryan got a second lease on the 2026 season. And now the Minnesota Twins hope that applies to them, too. Ryan threw a scare into the entire organization on Sunday, May 3 when he exited his start against the Toronto Blue Jays after just two batters and nine pitches.
Elbow soreness was the report, a nebulous diagnosis that had Twins fans spiraling for two days. Ryan immediately left Target Field for an MRI and an already depleted organization braced for the worst, just two months after ace Pablo Lopez succumbed to Tommy John surgery in spring training. But the MRI was clean and Tuesday, Ryan played catch without incident.
He will throw a bullpen on Wednesday and, if all goes well, make his next scheduled start Saturday at Cleveland. All normal stuff – and that’s a huge relief for Ryan given his state of mind after he motioned for manager Derek Shelton and left Sunday’s game under a cloud of uncertainty. “Any time you dodge a bullet, you’re grateful for every day you get to come in and put the jersey on,” Ryan said Tuesday at Nationals Park, three hours before the Twins opened a three-game series at Washington.
“That’s part of being in the big leagues – understanding that. I try to embrace that and not take anything for granted. “Every day you get to do that, it’s a blessing.