Right-hander Joe Ryan was scratched from his scheduled Spring Training start yesterday due to lower back tightness and underwent an MRI yesterday to determine the severity of the issue. Those results came back today, and The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reports that the MRI revealed only inflammation in Ryan’s lower back.
That’s a “best case scenario” for Ryan, in the words of Hayes. It should allow the right-hander to avoid a lengthy layoff and, while the Twins’ exact plans for Ryan as he nurses that inflammation aren’t yet clear, it seems reasonable to expect the right-hander’s ability to be available for Opening Day to be unaffected by this injury. That’s great news for the Twins, who have already lost right-hander Pablo Lopez to the injured list for the year as he prepares to undergo Tommy John surgery. Losing Lopez from the front of the team’s rotation was already a tough blow, but the loss of Ryan as well would’ve been devastating for Minnesota. Ryan figures to be joined in the rotation by Bailey Ober, with the final three spots left to some combination of youngsters Simeon Woods Richardson, Zebby Matthews, Taj Bradley, Mick Abel, and David Festa.
Ryan figures to be especially important to the Twins this year given that he’s 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 innings of work. He made 30 starts (31 total appearances) and struck out an impressive 28.2% of his opponents while walking just 5.7%. Ryan was held back from true ace-level production by his lackluster 11.5% barrel rate; only five qualified pitchers allowed more home runs than the righty’s 26 last year. Even with that flaw, however, Ryan was a quality front-of-the-rotation starter who garnered plenty of interest at last summer’s trade deadline. While the Twins conducted a fire sale that saw them part ways with Carlos Correa, Harrison Bader, and nearly their entire bullpen, Ryan was one of the most notable pieces to remain in place.
The Twins once again entertained offers on him (plus other stars like Pablo Lopez and Byron Buxton) early in the offseason but eventually took those players off the market in December following Tom Pohlad’s ascension to the role of control person for the franchise. Pohlad, who mutually parted ways with team president Derek Falvey last month, is pushing for the club to contend in 2026 despite a roster that doesn’t look substantially different than the one that was among the worst teams in baseball after the trade deadline. There’s enough talent youngsters on the roster (including Luke Keaschall, Royce Lewis, and Brooks Lee) that it’s not impossible to imagine the team taking a step forward this year, but if the team fails to do so Ryan could once again find himself in trade conversations this summer should he remain healthy.
In the shorter term, it remains to be seen what Ryan’s inflammation will mean for his anticipated participation in the World Baseball Classic. Ryan was announced as part of the Team USA roster for the WBC, but it’s possible he’ll be forced to sit out the tournament due to the injury even in spite of its mild nature. Players around the league have been denied insurance ahead of the WBC, causing issues for all sorts of teams as they prepare for the event. That’s led to additional caution around rostering players who would otherwise seem like safe bets to roster for the tournament, and it’s unclear what impact (if any) that could have on Ryan’s participation at this point. The good news for Team USA is that their group of rotation options remains stacked even if Ryan is unable to participate; Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal headline a group of starters that also includes Logan Webb, top Mets prospect Nolan McLean, and veteran southpaw Matthew Boyd.
Finally some good news after all the injuries lately
Trigger point shots should help but the question is what caused the inflammation? Hopefully, they’ll send the films for a second look (if they haven’t already) just to play it safe.
Know a radiologist who used to read for the pro clubs in Boston. She said at least 4 of them would read the studies and then compare/confer before finalizing a conclusion.
Right. There’s a cause and that needs to be addressed.
Phew
Twinkies dodged a bullet. I still have them finishing last in the division. Go Sox!!
Well, that’s just like, your opinion, man.
Dude!!!!
The battle for staying out of the ALC cellar will probably be more intense than it will be for the division winner
That’s some good news there, hopefully it clears out soon for him. Lower back pain is terrible.
You never realize how much you use you’re back until you hurt it.
Twins are going nowhere this is a sign that once he gets through this that they should trade while value is high and get some rebuilding pieces.
Probably by the trading deadline.
“Sorry, but it looks like you’ll have to get massages at least twice a day this week.”
“I’ll take one for the team, skip”
Good thing Maralago is in FLA. I hear that they have the best massages. Everybody says so. Big, strong men, with tears in their eyes, have said it was the bestest massage they ever had!
Really? I like massages, I should check it out. What’s the name? Miralago?
Sounds like a lingering thing that will make his deadline trade value non existent
What about Michael Wacha?
Not a MD nevertheless I recommend a titty massage. It should help inflammation and make you feel better,
As a TV doctor, I concur with your prescription… although it’s extremely likely to result in inflammation migration to extremities.
Why the twins didn’t trade he and Lopez is beyond me. They’re going nowhere, trade your chips for the future.
It was Emmanuel Rodriguez, Gabriel Gonzalez and Alan Roden hitting for the Twins today, a combined 5-7 with a pair of homers and six RBI, and Jenkins is their top prospect.
A lot of depth in the OF group in Minnesota.
Apparently Ryan’s offseason regimen does not include stretching.
Well, Braves were interested in him… so that’s why he’s hurt lol. If you’re a Braves pitcher or one they show legit interest in, youre either injury prone or about to be
Joe is 29 only for a few more months. Welcome to your 30’s. First time you actually have back pain you’re like “oh crap that’s what everyone was talking about”.
Weirdly everything starts hurting less when you get to your 40’s.