Joe Ryan's Return Gives A Major Boost to Twins' Rotation

With the Minnesota Twins still insistent on making a late-season playoff push, their efforts have been aided by the return of starting pitcher Joe Ryan. The right-hander was activated from the injured list ahead of the team's Monday opener against the Detroit Tigers and is set to take the mound versus Troy Melton. Meanwhile, the Twins optioned right-hander Garrett Acton to Triple-A St. Paul as the corresponding transaction to make room for Ryan on the active roster. Prior to suffering his injury, Ryan compiled a 3.65 ERA and 1.14 WHIP while striking out 138 batters through 125.2 innings pitched this season. His last start would be Aug. 4 against the Kansas City Royals, which did not go the way he or Minnesota hoped when he surrendered seven hits and four earned runs in 5.1 innings of work, resulting in the club falling to their divisional opponent 8-2. That outing also marked his third-straight loss since the team's July 20 matchup against the Cleveland Guardians in which he gave up a career-worst 10 hits and eight earned runs. Also, Ryan had recently struggled with arm fatigue and provided a delayed response to the media when asked if it was resolved, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Determined to figure out what was wrong with their 30-year-old ace, the team discovered a left glute strain that would keep him sidelined for just over a month. Now, Ryan will look to get back to having the lights-out dominance on the rubber that earned him an appearance in this year's MLB All-Star Game on July 14. His performance would be key in securing a 4-0 shutout win for the AL as he fanned two batters during a single inning of action. Ryan also put up another quality start three days earlier against the Los Angeles Angels, recording six punchouts despite giving up six hits to help seal a 5-3 victory in front of the Target Field faithful. With Ryan back in the rotation, it is less likely the club will need to rely on Andrew Morris or Connor Prielipp as openers going forward barring any further injuries. Moreover, Ryan's experience and leadership should help in mentoring younger starters Taj Bradley and Zebby Matthews while also complementing fellow Northern California native Dean Kremer who joined the Twins mid-season via a trade from the Baltimore Orioles. Ryan could be in for a huge bounce-back game this afternoon at 3:10 p.m. EDT against a Tigers squad that has ranked fourth in the division and gone 65-78 overall.