Joe Ryan scratched from Twins start vs. Athletics with arm fatigue

Joe Ryan will not take the mound Friday against the Athletics, manager Derek Shelton told reporters including Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com, with the right-hander held out due to arm fatigue. Mike Paredes will start in his place at Target Field.

What happened

Per MLB Trade Rumors, Shelton disclosed the scratch before Friday's game, citing arm fatigue as the reason Ryan would not make his scheduled start. The club, per the report, is hopeful Ryan can pitch in an upcoming series against the Royals — currently slated to begin Tuesday, July 28 at Target Field.

Paredes steps into the rotation on short notice, with the Twins already working through a weekend set against the Athletics. Saturday's probable is Kendry Rojas against Brady Basso, and Sunday's probable is Connor Prielipp against Jeffrey Springs.

Why it matters

Arm fatigue is, by its nature, a vague designation — and MLB Trade Rumors notes that vagueness is precisely what makes it worth watching. The word "fatigue" does not carry the clinical weight of a structural diagnosis, but it does not arrive without context here. Ryan dealt with elbow pain back in May, an episode that, per the report, ultimately did not cost him any time on the injured list. Whether this latest development is connected to that earlier issue is not stated in the report, and the club has not drawn that connection publicly.

What the report does note is that the scratch follows Ryan's worst start of the season. On Monday against the Guardians, he allowed eight earned runs across four innings, with Cleveland hitting him for six home runs in that single outing. That is the kind of line that tends to generate questions about a pitcher's arm regardless of what comes next — and what came next, per the report, was a scratch with an arm-related explanation.

The timing matters operationally as well. Under general league rules, pitchers placed on the injured list are subject to a 15-day minimum, which would push any return well past the Royals series the club is targeting. The report does not indicate Ryan is headed to the injured list — only that he was scratched and that the club is hopeful about Kansas City. But any arm-related issue for a starting pitcher carries that possibility in the background, and the Twins have not offered a more specific timetable.

The numbers

The game log detail MLB Trade Rumors provided tells most of the relevant story here. The Monday start against Cleveland produced eight earned runs in four innings, with six home runs allowed in that appearance alone.

MLB Trade Rumors adds useful career context: Ryan had allowed seven home runs across his previous 15 starts before that Guardians outing. That stretch represents a sustained run of keeping the ball in the yard — a skill the report credits him with developing, even while acknowledging he has dealt with home run vulnerability at points in his career. Six in a single start, against that backdrop, is a significant departure from the pattern he had established heading into this week.

Where the club stands

The Twins enter Friday at 77-85 (.475), sitting third in the AL Central, 8 games back in the division, and eliminated from both the division race and the Wild Card race. Minnesota ranks 7th in Wild Card positioning, 7.0 games relative to the cut line, and arrives at this series on a one-game winning streak.

None of that changes the operational reality of Ryan's situation, but it does shape how the organization might weigh its next steps. A club still in contention faces a different calculus when a rotation piece goes down than one that has been mathematically eliminated. The Twins are in the latter category, which means the pressure to rush Ryan back — if this does become a longer absence — is somewhat reduced. What the schedule does ask of them is a rotation that can get through a weekend at home and then face the Royals on Tuesday, with Taj Bradley listed as the probable for that game against Seth Lugo.

What we don't know yet

MLB Trade Rumors is explicit that "arm fatigue" is a vague designation, and the club has not offered anything more specific. It is not known whether this issue is connected to the elbow pain Ryan experienced in May. It is not known whether Ryan will be placed on the injured list or whether the Twins expect to manage this with rest alone. The report frames the Royals series as a target, but that is the club's stated hope — not a timetable, and not a medical clearance.

Mike Paredes's role beyond Friday is also unaddressed. Whether he remains in the rotation, returns to a relief role, or is part of a longer-term adjustment is not stated in the report.

What to watch

Will Ryan be placed on the injured list?

The club has not announced any roster move beyond the scratch itself, per MLB Trade Rumors. If Ryan does not improve quickly enough to pitch Tuesday against Kansas City, a 15-day injured list stint becomes the more likely path — which would also require a corresponding roster move to bring a pitcher up. The Twins have not indicated that is the direction they are heading, but the absence of a timetable beyond "hopeful for the Royals series" leaves that question open.

Beyond the roster mechanics, the underlying arm concern is the thread worth following. Ryan's May elbow issue resolved without a stint on the injured list, per the report, and the club will be hoping this follows the same path. Whether Friday's scratch is a one-start precaution or the beginning of something more significant is the question that will define how this story develops over the next several days.