Ryan didn't factor into the decision Saturday against the Guardians, allowing one run on two hits and three walks in six innings. He struck out five.
After leaving his last start early with elbow soreness, the All-Star right-hander looked no worse for wear Saturday. Ryan threw a season-high 107 pitches (66 strikes), and, excluding his most recent injury-shortened outing, pitched at least six innings while yielding two runs or fewer for the third time in his past four appearances. He'll carry a strong 3.43 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 45:13 K:BB over 44.2 innings into a tough assignment against the Brewers in his next scheduled start.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: Cleared to start Saturday
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Ryan (elbow) is listed as the Twins' scheduled starting pitcher for Saturday's game in Cleveland, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Ryan threw only nine pitches in his last outing Sunday against the Blue Jays before being removed due to right elbow soreness. After an MRI returned negative, Ryan was scheduled to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, and he must have gotten through that workout without issue in order to be cleared to start Saturday. Ryan has collected a 3.72 ERA and 40:10 K:BB over 38.2 innings this season.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: MRI on elbow comes back clean
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Ryan played catch Tuesday after an MRI on his right elbow came back negative, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Ryan was forced to depart Sunday's start against the Blue Jays after throwing just nine pitches due to right elbow soreness. However, he has managed to avoid a serious injury and is slated to throw a bullpen session Wednesday. Ryan is tentatively scheduled to start a game this weekend in Cleveland, and he should be cleared to take the ball against the Guardians if he gets through his bullpen session without a setback.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: Waiting on MRI results
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Ryan underwent an MRI on his right elbow after exiting his start in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Blue Jays, but the Twins are still waiting on the results of his imaging before determining his next steps, MLB.com reports.
Ryan joined the team in Washington, D.C. on Monday for the start of its six-game road trip, so the Twins seemingly aren't closing the door on the right-hander making his next turn through the rotation, which will come up Saturday in Cleveland. Before he was lifted from his start this past Sunday due to elbow soreness, Ryan faced just two batters and averaged 91.6 miles per hour on his four fastballs, a notable decline from his average of 92.6 mph through his first seven outings of the season.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: Managing sore elbow
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Ryan was removed from Sunday's start against the Blue Jays due to right elbow soreness, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Ryan threw just nine pitches -- recording one out and issuing a walk -- before departing. His final offering was a 90.9 mph fastball, which is down from his typical velocity. Ryan will likely undergo medical imaging, at which point there should be a better idea of his availability for his next turn through the rotation and beyond.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: Departs with apparent injury
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Ryan was removed from Sunday's start against the Blue Jays during the first inning with an apparent injury, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
The right-hander struck out Yohendrick Pinango to start the game and then walked Kazuma Okamoto, after which Ryan signaled to the dugout and exited the contest with training staff. His final pitch was a 90.9-mph fastball, which is nearly two ticks slower than his average fastball velocity (92.6 mph) in the early going this season. The nature of the injury isn't clear, but Ryan's availability for his next turn through the rotation is now in question.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: Takes loss despite quality start
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Ryan (2-3) took the loss Tuesday against the Mariners, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out six over six innings.
Ryan was effective for most of the outing, limiting Seattle to just three hits through the first five innings. In the sixth, back-to-back hits led to a run on a Josh Naylor RBI single, and after returning for the seventh the right-hander allowed a leadoff double that forced his exit and the runner later came around to score. Despite the loss, it marked Ryan's third quality start in his last four outings. He now owns a 3.76 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and a 39:9 K:BB across 38.1 innings and is slated to face Toronto in his next start.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: Struggles against Mets on Thursday
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Ryan allowed seven runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks while striking out five batters over five innings in a no-decision against the Mets on Thursday.
Ryan scuffled from the outset, giving up a three-run homer to Brett Baty in the first inning. He gave up three more runs in the second, though a passed ball on a strikeout led to all three runs being unearned. Ryan served up another long ball in the fourth frame and was pulled after the fifth inning having thrown 92 pitches. This was the first time in 2026 that Ryan gave up more than one homer in a game -- in fact, he had yielded just one long ball in total over his first five starts spanning 27.1 innings. He'll look to bounce back in his next outing, which lines up to come at home against Seattle.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: Earns first win
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Ryan (1-1) earned the win Monday, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks over five innings against the Tigers. He struck out seven.
Ryan wasn't dominant but was able to limit damage and grind through five innings to earn his first win of the 2026 season. It was an encouraging bounce-back performance after the right-hander was tagged for five runs in his previous outing against the Royals. Through three starts, the 29-year-old owns a 4.40 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with a 17:5 K:BB across 14.1 innings, and his next outing is slated for Saturday against the Blue Jays.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: Named Opening Day starter
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Ryan will start the Twins' Opening Day game against Baltimore, the team announced Friday.
With Pablo Lopez (elbow) sidelined, it's not a surprise to see Ryan get the Opening Day nod. It'll be his second Opening Day start, with his first coming in 2022. Ryan set career bests in ERA (3.42) and innings pitched (171) in 2025.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: Won't pitch for Team USA
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Ryan will no longer pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Ryan was in the pitcher pool for the WBC, but Team USA elected to add Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman to the roster instead. Ryan made his spring debut Tuesday after recovering from a back injury that flared up in mid-February. The 29-year-old right-hander is projected to serve as the Twins' starter for Opening Day against the Orioles on March 26. He tossed a career-high 171 innings across 31 regular-season games in 2025 and finished with a 3.42 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 194:39 K:BB.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: Ready to face hitters
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Ryan (back) checked out well after his bullpen session Saturday and is slated to face hitters in live batting practice in the coming days, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Ryan has yet to make his Grapefruit League debut, after he was scratched ahead of his scheduled outing last weekend when he experienced inflammation on the right side of his back. The right-hander was cleared to resume working out a few days after suffering the injury and seems to be moving through his throwing program as anticipated. While the back issue will prevent Ryan from pitching for Team USA during pool play in the World Baseball Classic, he's still part of the designated player pool and could be available for the second round of the WBC if his schedule aligns with it. Before that, Ryan is expected to pitch in a Grapefruit League game about five or six days after he throws his live BP session, per Matthew Leach of MLB.com.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: MRI shows only inflammation
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An MRI on Ryan's back revealed only inflammation, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
This is a best-case scenario for Ryan and the Twins after the right-hander was scratched from his first scheduled spring training start Saturday. It's uncertain when exactly Ryan will be able to resume mound work.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: Scratched from spring start
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Ryan was scratched from his scheduled start in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox due to lower-back tightness on his right side, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
The severity of Ryan's injury remains unknown, but the Twins didn't feel it was worth risking the 29-year-old's health during the first game of their Grapefruit League schedule. He'll now have to wait a bit longer before making his first start of the spring; meanwhile, Eston Stull will take the mound to begin Saturday's game.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: Strikes out nine in loss
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Ryan (13-10) took the loss against the Phillies on Friday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk with nine strikeouts over five innings.
Ryan threw 59 of 90 pitches for strikes and generated 14 whiffs, but he was outdueled by Aaron Nola. The 29-year-old was uneven down the stretch, giving up five or more runs in four of his final seven outings while holding opponents to two earned runs or fewer in the other three. He'll still close the campaign with a career-best 3.47 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 194:39 K:BB across 171 innings.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: Chased early in loss
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Ryan (13-8) took the loss against the Royals on Saturday, allowing five runs on four hits and four walks with two strikeouts over two innings.
Ryan was tagged for five runs in the first inning and issued a season-high four walks, leaving after just 62 pitches in his shortest outing of the season. Despite tossing seven shutout frames last Sunday, the 29-year-old has now allowed five earned runs or more in three of his past four starts. He'll carry a 3.32 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 176:34 K:BB across 157 innings into a home matchup with the Diamondbacks next weekend.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: Rebounds to blank Padres
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Ryan (13-7) earned the win Sunday over San Diego, allowing five hits and a walk across seven scoreless innings. He struck out eight.
After he was tagged for 11 runs over nine innings in his previous two starts, Ryan rebounded with a dominant outing Sunday, striking out at least eight batters for the eighth time this season. Ryan lowered his ERA to 3.08 on the season with a 0.97 WHIP and 174:30 K:BB across 155 innings. He'll look to keep rolling his next time out, tentatively scheduled for next week in Kansas City.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: Clobbered in Toronto
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Ryan (12-7) took the loss Monday against the Blue Jays, conceding six runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings with seven strikeouts.
The 29-year-old was tagged for six runs for the second time this season, with the previous occurrence happening April 20 at Atlanta. Ryan managed to generate only nine whiffs out of his 93 total pitches, as he coughed up multiple long balls for the third time this season in 25 total starts. After allowing a two-run homer to Alejandro Kirk to cap a four-run first inning, Ryan then gave up a solo shot to Andres Gimenez in the second. The Minnesota right-hander will carry a 3.04 ERA and 0.97 WHIP across 148 total frames into his next matchup, which currently lines up to come against San Diego at home this weekend.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: Settles in after early homer
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Ryan (11-5) earned the win Friday against the Royals, allowing one run on four hits while striking out five over five innings. He did not issue a walk.
Ryan's only blemish of the day came against the very first batter he faced, as he surrendered a leadoff homer to Mike Yastrzemski before settling in to blank Kansas City the rest of the way. The right-hander has now allowed two runs or fewer in seven of his last eight starts, continuing to provide elite consistency atop Minnesota's rotation. Ryan will take a sharp 2.79 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 146:25 K:BB into his next scheduled outing against the Yankees.
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Twins' Joe Ryan: Earns quality start in no-decision
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Ryan did not factor into the decision in Friday's game against the Guardians, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four across six innings.
Ryan yielded a run in each of the first two innings, but he finished his outing strong by retiring 14 of the last 15 batters he faced. He now has 12 quality starts this season (six of which have come over his last nine outings), and his 2.83 ERA and 0.93 WHIP (across 127.1 innings) rank eighth and fifth, respectively, among qualified starters. Ryan is slated to make his next start against the Tigers on the road next week.
