It appears the Minnesota Twins will be without their top starter at least for a few days.
It was revealed on Wednesday afternoon that right-hander Joe Ryan was placed on the COVID-19 injured list.
He would have started tomorrow, but those plans are now probably a thing of the past.
“#MNTwins placed Joe Ryan on the COVID-19 injured list. Ryan was scheduled to start Thursday vs. the Royals, so instead Devin Smeltzer will be called up from Triple-A to make the start. Smeltzer threw 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball vs. the Royals in Kansas City last week,” Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic tweeted.
#MNTwins placed Joe Ryan on the COVID-19 injured list.
Ryan was scheduled to start Thursday vs. the Royals, so instead Devin Smeltzer will be called up from Triple-A to make the start.
Smeltzer threw 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball vs. the Royals in Kansas City last week.
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) May 25, 2022
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli reportedly said the pitcher is “doing OK”, without offering many more details about his star pitcher.
Twins Manager Didn’t Offer Too Many Details About Ryan
If Ryan didn’t test positive and instead is reporting some symptoms or was a close contact, he could be activated as soon as tomorrow, giving him time to make his scheduled start in theory.
If, to the contrary, he tested positive for the virus, he has to miss at least 10 days unless he spends 24 hours with no fever and is cleared by doctors and physicians.
That’s why there isn’t much clarity about Ryan’s situation, but it’s safe to assume the Twins won’t be sending him to the mound tomorrow.
Ryan, who came to Minnesota last year in the Nelson Cruz trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, has been their best starter in 2022.
He has the lowest ERA by a Twins starter this year, at 2.28, and has pitched the most innings at 43.1.
Ryan has struck out 24.3 percent of the batters he has faced and has looked very good overall.
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