Joe Ryan’s return has already started to reshape the Twins’ pitching picture, and Monday’s outing against the Tigers offered the first real glimpse of what that means.
Back from the injured list, Ryan made his first MLB start in a month at Comerica Park and took the loss after allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits and one walk in four innings. He struck out seven and needed just 66 pitches to get through his four frames.
Connor Prielipp followed him out of the bullpen and worked four innings of his own. The left-hander gave up two earned runs on five hits, didn’t issue a walk and punched out five while throwing 68 pitches.
With Ryan back in the mix, Prielipp looks set to settle into a long relief role for the rest of the season. That doesn’t close the door on him starting again down the line, but the Twins may prefer to manage his workload now after he has already blown past his single-season innings record. A bullpen role would let him throw fewer pitches, get more recovery time between appearances and, the team likely hopes, set him up for a return to the rotation in 2027.
There was also a positive development on the position-player side Tuesday, when the Twins sent Austin Martin out on a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul. Martin hit second as the designated hitter for the Saints in their 5-4 loss to the Syracuse Mets and went 1-for-4 with an RBI single.
Martin landed on the injured list on Aug. 17 with a left hamstring strain after crashing into the left-field wall at Target Field while trying to make a catch. Before the injury, he had put together a .241/.352/.333 line in 110 games for Minnesota this season.
The right-handed hitter has mostly filled a platoon role, while also providing solid defense in the corner outfield. Against southpaws in 2026, he is hitting .258/.405/.403.
The playoff math remains unforgiving for Minnesota, even after Tuesday’s 3-2 win over Detroit. Cleveland, which currently holds the final AL Wild Card spot, also picked up a win, and the Twins’ path is still narrow with FanGraphs giving them just a 3.0% chance to reach the postseason.
Here’s where the AL Wild Card race stands:
New York Yankees, 82-62, +9.0
Boston Red Sox, 80-66, +6.0
Cleveland Guardians, 74-72
Toronto Blue Jays, 73-73, 1.0
Texas Rangers, 72-73, 1.5
Baltimore Orioles, 70-76, 4.0
Minnesota Twins, 69-76, 4.5
The Twins finish their series with the Tigers on Wednesday afternoon at Comerica Park. First pitch is set for 12:10 p.m. CDT.
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