As the Minnesota Twins inch closer to their magic number and chase the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central, another battle is taking place off the field.
Joe Ryan was placed on the 15-day IL after suffering a Grade 2 teres strain in his start against the Chicago Cubs. It was believed he could be out for “months,” and he will do everything he can to confirm that before accepting that diagnosis.
If things stay the way they are, Ryan’s season is likely over. Losing him for several months with only a month and a few turnovers left in the season would mean we’ve seen him on the mound for the last time this year.
Ryan will reportedly seek a second opinion on his injury to see if this nightmare scenario can be avoided.
SKOR North’s Declan Goff reported that Ryan wants to seek the opinion of an independent doctor to assess the possibility of an earlier-than-expected return.
“(Joe Ryan) is going to get a second opinion and possibly a second MRI just to figure out what to do next,” Goff said. “That meeting will be in the next few days, and it won’t be here in Minnesota. He’ll fly out to get that second opinion.”
Goff also noted that the Twins have given Ryan the green light to get a second opinion, which should happen this weekend at the latest. In a best-case scenario, Ryan’s injury turns out not to be as serious as the team’s MRI scan showed and his schedule works out for him to return before the end of the season.
That’s what this final attempt at a second opinion is all about – the schedule.
Right now, the Twins don’t have a clear idea of how long Ryan will be out, with “weeks to months” being a pretty broad timeframe. The fear is that it will be the latter and this injury will require a long recovery time, although there is still a glimmer of hope that the Twins will get their star back sooner.
In the meantime, the rotation is being held together pretty effectively with duct tape. David Festa is starting to get into his stride, while Zebby Matthews had a fantastic outing in his MLB debut on Tuesday night. Simeon Woods Richardson has also made great strides, while Bailey Ober is throwing like one of the best pitchers in baseball.
It’s been a matter of level playing field for the Twins’ top pitchers when it comes to finding replacements, but so far things have gone well. Minnesota will need more of that, though, as the race for the Central isn’t getting any easier and losing Ryan would be a major blow.
Hopefully a second opinion will not only alleviate the stress that comes with rotation.
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