Twins starter Joe Ryan gets confirmation of shoulder strain that will keep him out indefinitely

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Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan, right, reacts as he leaves with a team trainer after an injury during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan throws against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan delivers against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning of a baseball game, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

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Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan throws to the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

By STEPHEN HAWKINS

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Minnesota Twins starter Joe Ryan got a second opinion that confirmed the team’s initial diagnosis of a significantly strained muscle in his throwing shoulder that will keep the right-hander sidelined for an extended period.

Twins trainer Nick Paparesta said Friday that Ryan visited with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in California. ElAttrache reaffirmed the Twins’ diagnosis.

“Felt the same way we did about the injury, being a Grade 2 teres major strain of his shoulder,” Paparesta said. “Joe is going to be down for a period of time that we discussed earlier, weeks probably, and we’ll kind of reassess him at that point in time. You don’t want to say the season’s over at any point in time, so we’ll wait and see how things go once we get a chance to look at him again.”

The update came a week after the Twins put Ryan on the 15-day injured list because of the strain to the muscle that runs from the shoulder blade to the upper arm. Manager Rocco Baldelli said at that time Ryan would be sidelined for “weeks to months,” but stopped short of declaring him done for the season.

There are just over six weeks left in the regular season.

Ryan (7-7, 3.60 ERA) was removed from his start Aug. 7 against the Chicago Cubs because of discomfort after throwing a pitch. He has 147 strikeouts and 23 walks in his 135 innings over 23 starts this season for the playoff-contending Twins, who entered Friday with a 68-53 record.

“I think him going out there and talking to Dr. ElAttrache gave him reassurance. He’s seen other players that have had this injury that have all come back and had no issues moving forward with it,” Paparesta said. “It’s just a little bit more of just a comfort factor. He was understanding of what was going on.”

Paparesta said Ryan is maybe able to do day-to-day activities without being affected, “but I don’t think he could go out and throw a baseball without his arm hurting at this point in time.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB