Twins right-hander Joe Ryan was pulled two batters into his start on Sunday against the Blue Jays. He departed with right elbow soreness, relayed Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Ryan struck out Yohendrick Pinango on three pitches to begin the game. He walked Kazuma Okamoto and then called for the trainer. Ryan’s final pitch was a 90 mph fastball, a couple of ticks down from his season average. Right-hander Andrew Morris came on in relief.
It’s the second injury scare of the season for Ryan, who missed time during Spring Training with lower back inflammation. He recovered in time to take the ball on Opening Day, when he delivered 5.1 scoreless innings against the Orioles. The righty has headlined a rotation that ranks ninth in ERA heading into Sunday.
Ryan has had a pretty typical season so far. He’s posted a 3.76 ERA with a decent strikeout rate while limiting walks. His fly-ball approach tends to lead to home runs, but Ryan has kept the ball in the yard better than usual, permitting just three long balls in 38 1/3 innings.
An extended absence for Ryan would further test a Minnesota pitching staff already dealing with injuries to Pablo Lopez and Mick Abel. Lopez is done for the year after undergoing elbow surgery. Abel is dealing with elbow inflammation. Prospect Connor Prielipp is getting his first taste in the majors thanks to the starting pitcher injuries. Fellow prospect Kendry Rojas also got a brief look. He could be heading back to the big leagues if Ryan needs an IL stint. Zebby Matthews would be another candidate to slide into a rotation spot.
Photo courtesy of Nick Wosika, Imagn Images
