Joe Ryan was pulled about 30 minutes before he was scheduled to pitch a couple of innings in the Minnesota Twins‘ Spring Training opener against the Red Sox on Saturday. The Twins have already lost starter Pablo Lopez to a season-ending injury that will require Tommy John Surgery, and for as much of a huge blow that is, losing Joe Ryan would be as big a blow as this young Twins team.
Ryan got an MRI on Saturday, and the results were revealed early Sunday morning. The thought is that the Twins will hold onto Ryan and build around him, but there’s always been a fair amount of trade speculation surrounding Ryan for the last several months. He was thought to be one of the more likely players to be dealt this offseason, but Twins’ management did come out publicly and say they will be holding onto him for now.
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Joe Ryan’s MRI Reveals Back Inflammation
According to The Athletic’s Dan Hayes, Joe Ryan’s MRI revealed that the All-Star starter is only dealing with lower back inflammation.
As of now, the report shows that this is the best-case scenario for Joe Ryan and the Twins, and this injury should not affect his Opening Day status. Ryan, unless he’s not cleared to pitch, will almost certainly be Minnesota’s Opening Day starter.
(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)Joe Ryan #41 of the Minnesota Twins could be a top trade target.
Joe Ryan said, “I didn’t do any deep dives and don’t have Twitter. … I’m sorry to scare everyone,” according to Hayes.
Other internal options in the Twins’ starting rotation include Mick Abel, Zebby Matthews, Taj Bradley, and David Festa.
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Joe Ryan’s Production as A Starter
Joe Ryan has emerged as one of the best young starters in MLB. He was named an All-Star for the first time in his career in 2025, and posted a 3.42 ERA over 30 starts and 171 innings in ’25, and Ryan also struck out 194 hitters.
In his five-year MLB career, Ryan has a 3.79 ERA in 114 starts and 719 strikeouts over 641.1 innings. He’s posted a positive bWAR in every year in his career, but 2025 featured a big step forward, as Ryan really carried the Twins rotation in Pablo Lopez’s absence.
The Twins went full on firesale mode back in July, but Joe Ryan was one of the few players, along with Byron Buxton, who stayed put.
Minnesota likely won’t compete this upcoming season, and if Ryan posts a strong first half, he could be subject to another wave of trade rumors.
He’s set to become a free agent in 2028, so if the Twins feel like they might not be able to retain him in free agency, trading him might be the best move to maximize a return for the All-Star caliber starter.
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Twins Get Best-Case Scenario on Starter Joe Ryan After MRI