Minnesota Twins starter Joe Ryan received a second opinion confirming the team’s original finding of a serious muscle strain in his throwing shoulder, which will keep him out for a long time.
Twins trainer Nick Paparesta said Friday that Ryan saw Dr. Neal ElAttrache in California, who agreed with the team’s diagnosis.
“Dr. ElAttrache confirmed our finding of a Grade 2 teres major strain in his shoulder,” Paparesta said. “Joe will be out for a while, probably weeks, and we’ll reassess him then. We’re not giving up on the season yet, so we’ll see how he’s doing later.”
This update follows the Twins placing Ryan on the 15-day injured list last week due to the strain in the muscle from the shoulder blade to the upper arm.
Manager Rocco Baldelli mentioned then that Ryan would be out for “weeks to months,” but didn’t rule out the possibility of him returning this season.
With just over six weeks remaining in the regular season, Ryan (7-7, 3.60 ERA) was taken out of his start on August 7 against the Chicago Cubs due to discomfort.
He has 147 strikeouts and 23 walks in 135 innings over 23 starts this year for the playoff-contending Twins, who had a 68-53 record going into Friday.
Paparesta said Ryan’s visit to Dr. ElAttrache provided him with reassurance, noting that the doctor has treated other players with similar injuries who made full recoveries.
