The Minnesota Twins got an early scare when Joe Ryan exited Sunday’s start after only two batters due to right elbow soreness.
The Twins’ All-Star pitcher signaled to the dugout after walking Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto on his ninth pitch of the game. Ryan struck out the first batter he faced.
Through his first seven starts, Ryan’s fastball velocity averaged 92.6 mph, down 1.1 mph from last season, per Baseball Savant. But Ryan said he felt good and thought the decrease was due to mechanical issues.
Of the four fastballs he threw Sunday, Ryan averaged 91.6 mph, the last one a 90.9 mph offering to Okamoto.
Twins manager Derek Shelton confirmed during an in-game interview that Ryan was getting evaluated.
“He walked out and said he felt something in his elbow,” Shelton said. “It’s unfortunate, especially this early in the game, but it’s something we’ve got to deal with. Hopefully Joe’s in a good spot.”
The Twins’ rotation already took one major hit in February when All-Star pitcher Pablo López suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament, an injury that resulted in season-ending Tommy John surgery.
Ryan previously missed the final 49 games of the 2024 season after suffering a Grade 2 teres major strain in his throwing shoulder in an Aug. 7 start in Chicago.
Serious as it was, the injury didn’t require surgery and Ryan pitched the entire 2025 season, producing the best year of his career. Ryan struck out 194 batters, going 13-10 with a 3.42 ERA in 171 innings and earning the first All-Star nod of his career.
A free agent after the 2027 season, many expected the Twins would deal Ryan during the offseason as a continuation of last season’s teardown at the trade deadline. But the team hung onto Ryan and López, hoping to compete in a consistently watered-down American League Central.
With one-plus season of team control remaining, Ryan still would have plenty of trade value this July, were he to be healthy.
This is the second injury scare in a little more than two months for Ryan and the Twins. On Feb. 21, Ryan exited what was supposed to be his first start of spring training with lower back tightness. Ryan returned to action on March 10, made three starts in spring training and has made every scheduled start since.
