Minnesota Twins Make Joe Ryan Change Ahead of Athletics Series Finale

The Minnesota Twins' best player this season has been center fielder Byron Buxton. On the pitching side, the clear standout has been 30-year-old right-hander Joe Ryan. Now in his sixth season in Minnesota, he has continued to dominate and lead the staff as its ace.

He earned his second straight All-Star selection, and even after a disastrous start Monday in a loss against the Cleveland Guardians where he allowed eight runs and six home runs while striking out just three in four innings, his numbers this year remain solid.

He has posted a 3.38 ERA across 21 starts, which would be a career low if the season ended today, along with 131 strikeouts in 114 1/3 innings. However, there may have been a reason behind that rough outing earlier this week based on a new update from manager Derek Shelton.

"Joe Ryan will not start this weekend vs. the A's due to arm fatigue. Derek Shelton said the expectation is that he'll pitch at some point next week vs. the Royals, but nothing is lined up yet," wrote Twins reporter Aaron Gleeman.

It makes sense that a drop in velocity due to fatigue could have made him considerably easier to hit, which would explain why his performance Monday was so uncharacteristic. The hope is that Ryan is not delayed too much and will simply start a few days later after recharging. After all, Ryan has pitched more innings than nearly anyone in the American League this season, and had he started Sunday it would have marked his 22nd start of the year, putting him tied for the most in the AL.

Even though there is real pressure on the Twins to perform right now, entering Sunday two games under .500, the front office is clearly not going to sacrifice Ryan's arm to chase short-term results. Unlike last year's deadline when they gutted the entire roster, the Twins appear more likely to buy this time around, and Ryan is a central piece of whatever they are trying to build in the second half.

He remains one of the most intriguing names as the deadline approaches. If the Twins buy, he stays without question. If they sell, he would be the top candidate to move and would command an impressive prospect package given that he is under team control through the 2027 season and is no rental piece.