It has been a rough few days for the Minnesota Twins. One of the frontrunners in the American League Central, the Twins entered Wednesday as losers of three straight home games. Minnesota has fallen to third place in the AL Central as the upstart Kansas City Royals briefly moved into a first-place tie with the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday.
While the Minnesota Twins will look to salvage one win against the Atlanta Braves in the series finale between the teams on Wednesday evening, Minnesota delivered some troubling news regarding one of the main members of the team’s starting staff. Right-hander Joe Ryan, who was placed on the injured list on Aug. 8 due to a Grade 2 teres major strain in his throwing shoulder, was moved to the 60-day IL.
Roster Pickup Necessitated Minnesota Twins Moving Ryan To 60-Day IL
The Minnesota Twins have been involved in a flurry of transactions this week, a spate that included the calling up of pitcher Caleb Boushley from Triple-A St. Paul, and the waiver pickup of another hurler, Michael Tonkin, from the New York Yankees. Both pitchers are expected to be part of the Twins’ active roster for Wednesday’s contest against the Braves at Target Field in Minneapolis.
However, to make room on the active roster, Minnesota made the space-clearing move of Ryan to the 60-day IL. That roster maneuver means that Ryan will not be eligible to pitch again until at least Oct. 7, provided that the Minnesota Twins qualify for the American League Playoffs. Minnesota currently holds the third AL Wild Card playoff spot, two games behind the Royals, but with a four-game cushion on the Boston Red Sox.
The Minnesota Twins currently trail the AL Central-leading Guardians by three games after Cleveland avoided being swept at home by the Royals after coming from behind to defeat Kansas City 7-5 on Wednesday.
Twins Patching Together Starting Staff
Ryan, in his fourth season with the Minnesota Twins, was 7-7 with a 3.60 ERA and 147 strikeouts through 23 starts in 2024. He was slotted in as the Twins’ No. 2 starter behind staff ace Pablo Lopez.
Rookie Zebby Matthews staked his claim to hold down Ryan’s starting slot after striking out seven in five innings of one-run, four-hit ball in a no-decision against the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 25. Matthews is expected to receive another start during an upcoming home series against the Toronto Blue Jays to close out the week.
Minnesota is banking on the youthful arms of its rotation to lead the team to a spot in the postseason. Besides Matthews, who is 24, the team is also relying on 23-year-old Simeon Woods Richardson and 24-year-old David Festa to round out the rotation.
Woods Richardson has started 23 games to the tune of a 5-3 record, 3.85 ERA, and 102 strikeouts in his first campaign as a full-time MLB pitcher. However, Festa has been up and down in his first major league season, currently owning a 2-3 record with a 5.20 ERA in eight starts.
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