The Minnesota Twins will begin a pivotal four-game set against the Cleveland Guardians, the team they trail by 3 1/2 games in the American League Central, on Friday afternoon. Before that contest could get underway, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli announced an unfortunate development for his club, revealing that right-hander Joe Ryan had been diagnosed with a Grade 2 teres major strain in his right shoulder. Baldelli told reporters the injury will sideline Ryan for "weeks to months."
Ryan, 28, has since been placed on the injured list. (Right-hander Scott Blewett was promoted to take his spot on the active roster.) In 23 starts this season, he's amassed a 3.60 ERA (115 ERA+) and a 6.39 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Ryan suffered the injury on Wednesday, departing his start against the Chicago Cubs after throwing 29 pitches.
The teres major, for those not aware, is a muscle that connects the scapula and the humerus. It's the same muscle that Texas Rangers starter Max Scherzer strained last September. That injury cost him a month of action and nearly prevented him from pitching in the postseason as part of the Rangers' World Series run.
As it turns out, Scherzer's absence was unusually short: Baseball Prospectus' database reveals that the average player misses 74 days because of a strained teres major. Every injury is unique in its own way, but the Twins' regular season is slated to end in 51 days. If Ryan does miss 70-odd days, he wouldn't be ready to return until mid-to-late October, just ahead of the 2024 World Series.
Baldelli, for his part, did not rule Ryan out for the remainder of the regular season despite acknowledging that the injury is more serious than they initially believed.
The Twins have been regularly impacted by injuries throughout the year, and they're currently without infielders Carlos Correa and Brooks Lee, outfielder Alex Kirilloff, starter Chris Paddack, and reliever Brock Stewart, among others.
