The right hand Joe Ryan He has been sidelined since he was scheduled to start Spring Training yesterday due to back tightness and he underwent an MRI yesterday to determine the severity of the issue. Those results came back today, and The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reports that an MRI revealed only swelling in Ryan’s lower back.
That is “Excellent condition” to Ryan, in the words of Hayes. It should allow the right-hander to avoid extended layoffs and, while Ryan’s exact plans for the twins as he nurses the inflammation are unclear, it seems reasonable to expect that the right-hander’s ability will be available on Opening Day unaffected by this injury. That’s good news for the Twins, who already lost the right-hander Pablo Lopez on the injured list for the year as he prepares for Tommy John surgery. Losing Lopez before the team trade was already a heavy burden, but losing Ryan would hurt Minnesota even more. Ryan figures he will be joined by the rotation Bailey Oberwith the last three spots remaining in the junior combination Simeon Woods Richardson, Zebby Matthews, Hello Bradley, Mick Abelagain David Festa.
Ryan looks to be the most important thing for the Twins this year as he is coming off the best season of his career. An All-Star for the first time in 2025, the right-hander posted a 3.42 ERA in 171 career innings. He made 30 starts (31 total appearances) and struck out 28.2% of his opponents while walking just 5.7%. Ryan was held back from true ace-level production with his lackluster 11.5% barrel rating; only five major leaguers allowed more home runs than the righty’s 26 last year. Still, though, Ryan was a quality starter in the rotation who garnered a lot of interest at last summer’s trade deadline. When the twins made a fire dice that saw them parting with it Carlos Correa, Harrison Baderand almost their entire bullpen, Ryan was one of the most notable pieces left in the area.
The twins also enjoyed offers to him (and other stars such as Pablo Lopez and Byron Buxton) at the start of the offseason but ended up taking those players off the market in December following Tom Pohlad’s ascension to franchise control. Pohlad, who parted ways with team president Derek Falvey last month, is pushing the club to contend for the championship in 2026 despite a roster that doesn’t look much different than what was among the worst teams in baseball after the trade deadline. There is plenty of young talent on the roster (incl Luke Keachall, Royce Lewisagain Brooks Lee) that it’s impossible to imagine the team taking a step forward this year, but if the team fails to do so Ryan could find himself in trade talks again this summer if he stays healthy.
In the short term, it remains to be seen what Ryan’s swelling will mean for his expected participation in the World Baseball Classic. Ryan has been announced as part of Team USA’s WBC roster, but it’s likely he’ll be forced out of the tournament due to an injury, however minor. The league’s wing players were denied insurance ahead of the WBC, which caused problems for all teams as they prepared for the event. That’s led to more caution about draft players who would otherwise appear safe to sign up for the tournament, and it’s unclear what impact (if any) that would have on Ryan’s current participation. The good news for Team USA is that their rotation options remain stacked even if Ryan is unable to participate; Paul Skenes again Tarik Skubal the title of the group of beginners that includes and Logan Webbthe Mets’ top prospect Nolan McLeanand veteran southpaw Matthew Boyd.
