MLB made a big change that impacted Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan.
Joe Ryan has left no doubts about who the best arm is on the Minnesota Twins 40-man roster. The 30-year-old veteran has followed up his breakout 2025 season with another excellent campaign and is heading to the All-Star Game for the second straight year. In Pablo Lopez's absence, he has taken over as the clear ace of the pitching staff.
As the trade deadline approaches, Ryan's name has continued to surface in rumors. If the Twins decide to move him, plenty of teams would be calling with a strong prospect package. However, Minnesota has been playing better baseball of late, especially in the month of July, and there is no guarantee they will sell.
It has not all been perfect for Ryan this season. He dominated during his last start Sunday against the New York Yankees, completely shutting them down across seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in a 6-1 victory.
However, his start before that on the road against the Houston Astros on June 30 was the worst of his season. He lasted just four innings and allowed six runs to cross in a loss. That outing just got a little less painful though.
All the damage against Ryan in that start came in the bottom of the fourth inning, but it did not have to be that way. With one out and a runner on first, Astros outfielder Taylor Trammell hit a ground ball to first base that Royce Lewis was unable to field, with the ball scooting into right field.
If he completed the play it likely would have been an inning-ending double play. At the time it was scored a hit, but not anymore. MLB decided this week that the miss from Lewis is now an error instead of a hit, meaning all six runs in the inning are now unearned.
Ryan still imploded after that play, allowing another hit, two walks and eventually a grand slam to Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez. But those runs are now deemed not fully his fault. As a result, his ERA has dropped over half a run, falling from 3.36 down to 2.85, which now places him inside the top 15 in all of MLB entering Wednesday.
It does not change the fact that the Twins lost that game, but it does make Ryan's season look even more impressive than it already was. He will make his next start on Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels at home.
