Twin Injury Update: The latest news on Joe Ryan, Julian Merryweather and David Festa

Joe Ryan played catch yesterday after being scratched during Saturday’s start against the Red Sox

Twins manager Derek Shelton told reporters: including Matthew Leach of MLB.comthat Ryan played catch from 30 yards on Tuesday morning.

Ryan was scratched from his scheduled start on Saturday with tightness in his lower back. Fortunately, an MRI showed that he was only dealing with inflammation.

Unless the inflammation worsens unexpectedly, Ryan should be ready for the regular season and will likely start Opening Day against the Baltimore Orioles.

Ryan will be part of Team USA’s starting rotation for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), which begins in a few weeks. Unfortunately, Ryan’s place on the team is now in jeopardy. The Twins may no longer want Ryan in the tournament, and Ryan may feel the same way. It is also possible that Ryan does not have insurance to participate in the tournament.

Former cub Julian Merryweather leaves the first spring training at Twins due to a left hamstring strain

After walking and striking out, Merryweather left his Twins spring training debut Tuesday with a left hamstring strain. according to Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune.

If Merryweather, who signed a minor league deal with Minnesota earlier this month, misses significant time, it will be a blow to the former Cub. The only Twins relievers all but guaranteed Opening Day roster spots are Taylor Rogers, Anthony Banda, Justin Topa and Cole Sands. It seemed like Merryweather had a good chance of making the Opening Day roster, but if he has to miss time due to his hamstring injury, which is likely, his chances diminish significantly. If he ends up on the IL, he will most likely have to pitch in the minors for a while when he returns and wait for a bullpen spot on the Twins’ big league roster to open up.

David Festa is “gradually increasing” after finishing the 2025 season on IL

Nightengale reported that Festa is “gradually increasing” after finishing on the IL last season. At the end of July he ended up on the IL with a shoulder infection. He was on track to return to the team in September before being diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. Happy, the one on the right received Botox injections instead of undergoing surgery.

Festa conducted live batting practice last weekend, according to Nightengale. His fastball was in the low 90s. His fastball averaged 90 mph last season, but he will likely regain his velocity gradually the more he throws.

Festa will likely be competing for the Twins’ final rotation spot with Mick Abel and Zebby Matthews. Many believe Festa is best suited for a relief role at this point in his career, but a strong spring could change that narrative.