Joe Ryan (glute strain) could return to Twins rotation during road trip

Joe Ryan is close to rejoining the Twins rotation, per Matthew Leach of MLB.com, with a return potentially coming during an upcoming road trip.

Ryan has been sidelined with a glute strain, and a rehab start with Triple-A St. Paul — reported here earlier this week — indicated he was working his way back through the usual channels. The MLB.com report now places him on the near side of that process.

What remains unconfirmed

No specific return date has been announced, and the club has not formally placed him back on the active roster. The road trip framing suggests a target window rather than a locked-in date, so the timeline carries the usual injury-return caveats.

Why it matters

Minnesota has been navigating a crowded injury ledger of late. Byron Buxton landed on the injured list with a right hip impingement — his third IL stint this season — leaving the roster thinner than the Twins would prefer heading into the stretch. A rotation arm potentially returning, even on a tentative schedule, is a meaningful development for a club already managing significant depth questions.

Watch for a corresponding roster move if and when Ryan does rejoin the active group.