The Minnesota Twins are less than a month from Spring Training but they’re already receiving good news as Joe Ryan and Brock Stewart are making their way back from injury.
General manager Jeremy Zoll was interviewed by KSTP-TV’s Darren Wolfson at the team’s “TwinsFest” event over the weekend and sounded optimistic when discussing Ryan’s recovery after suffering a Grade 2 teres major strain last August.
“We’re really fortunate [that] Joe is in a great spot,” Zoll said. “He’s going to be full go in camp and as with a number of guys here, it’s really been a positive offseason for everyone coming out of any injuries they had coming out of last year. That’s a really exciting spot to be when you enter camp. No doubt about it.”
Zoll also sounded positive about Stewart’s recovery after undergoing season-ending arthroscopic shoulder surgery in August.
“He’s been throwing off a mound and working his way through,” Zoll said. “He’s been mixing in some of his off-speed pitches and he’ll be continuing that build-up and rehab process in the spring. But we expect to see him in game action in Spring Training and we’ll keep going from there.”
Joe Ryan, Brock Stewart will be key Twins pitchers to watch during Spring Training
The news from Zoll is a positive development after the Twins grinded through several injuries in the second half en route to missing the playoffs last season.
The injury to Ryan was one of the biggest blows as the 28-year-old was having one of his best seasons in the majors with a 7-7 record and 3.60 ERA in 135 innings before leaving his final start against the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 7.
With Ryan ready to go, it should solidify the top of the Twins rotation entering Spring Training with Pablo López and Bailey Ober leading way and a battle for the final two spots including Chris Paddack, Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa and Zebby Matthews.
While the news of Ryan’s recovery is good, Stewart’s may need to be taken with a grain of salt. The right-hander was one of the Twins’ top bullpen arms in 2023, going 2-0 with a 0.65 ERA, 39 strikeouts and 11 walks in 27.2 innings but was limited to 15.2 innings while posting a 5.17 ERA last season.
Stewart’s extensive injury history is also reason for caution and while Zoll said he would pitch during games in Spring Training, he also stopped short of saying he would be part of the Opening Day roster when the Twins open in St. Louis on Mar. 27.
“We want to take it one step at a time, for sure,” Zoll said. “But we feel like he’s going to have a full Spring Training and just need to see how he continues to respond as he keeps getting ramped up. But every test that he’s had to pass so far as he’s moved from catch play to long toss to bullpens and so on has all been positive and we want to be as responsible as possible in getting him through that process.”
With the spotlight on the Twins offense in the next few weeks, it’s good to know Minnesota should have its staff together for Spring Training. But Ryan and Stewart will be a pair of arms to watch as they continue to recover from their injuries.
