Ryan is the more interesting story. He left a recent start early with right elbow soreness, but the MRI came back clean and he's been back in the rotation. His last time out he punched out 9 White Sox in 6 innings on 98 pitches — the line shows 4 earned, but he was missing bats. Twins Daily flagged the elbow scare as the kind of thing fans are going to white-knuckle every start for a while, especially with Bailey Ober down with a flexor strain and Pablo Lopez on the 60-day.
- Day-To-DayMaikel Garcia (3B) — Garcia (hamstring) remains out of the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Twins.06/05
- Day-To-DayAnthony Simonelli (SP) — no05/08
- Day-To-DayJavier Vaz (2B) — Vaz (fingers) has produced a .238/.304/.262 slash line with zero home runs and three stolen bases in 10 games since being activated from Double-A Northwest Arkansas' 7-day injured list April 22.05/08
- Day-To-DayTyson Guerrero (RP) — no05/08
- bereavementStephen Kolek (SP) — Kolek took a no-decision Wednesday against the Reds, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out eight.06/04
- 15-Day-ILCole Ragans (SP) — Ragans (elbow) resumed playing catch Monday, MLB.com reports.06/02
- 15-Day-ILNick Mears (RP) — Mears (2-3) was tagged with the loss in relief Friday against the Mariners after allowing two runs on one hit and one walk over one inning.05/29
- 15-Day-ILKris Bubic (SP) — Bubic (elbow) is still dealing with general left arm fatigue, MLB.com reports.05/28
- 15-Day-ILCarlos Estevez (RP) — Estevez (shoulder) began playing catch Wednesday, MLB.com reports.05/28
- 60-Day-ILJonathan India (2B) — no06/04
- 60-Day-ILJames McArthur (RP) — McArthur (elbow) underwent surgery Friday to help combat continued soreness and inflammation, MLB.com reports.05/25
- 60-Day-ILAlec Marsh (SP) — The Royals placed Marsh (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08
- Day-To-DayByron Buxton (CF) — Buxton went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Thursday's 8-6 loss to Kansas City.06/06
- Day-To-DayWalker Jenkins (CF) — Twins manager Jeremy Zoll said Saturday that Jenkins (shoulder) is "reporting improvements daily" and could begin light baseball activity in about a week, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.05/18
- Day-To-DayJulian Merryweather (RP) — Merryweather (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with the Twins' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate Tuesday, Theodore Tollefson of ZoneCoverage.com reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayMatt Canterino (SP) — Canterino (shoulder) will be with the Twins in big-league spring training but isn't expected to pitch during camp as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.05/08
- 10-Day-ILRyan Jeffers (C) — Jeffers had the cast and stitches removed from his surgically repaired left hand and has resumed throwing, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports.06/03
- 15-Day-ILMick Abel (SP) — Abel (elbow) touched 97 mph in a 37-pitch live batting practice session Thursday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.06/05
- 15-Day-ILKendry Rojas (RP) — Rojas (elbow) could begin throwing as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday, reports Dan Hayes of The Athletic.06/01
- 15-Day-ILBailey Ober (SP) — Ober has a mild flexor strain and will be shut down for 10-14 days, reports Dan Hayes of The Athletic06/01
- 15-Day-ILCole Sands (RP) — Twins manager Derek Shelton said Monday that Sands (forearm) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday, Theodore Tollefson of Zone Coverage reports.06/01
- 60-Day-ILGarrett Acton (RP) — no05/19
- 60-Day-ILDavid Festa (SP) — Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll said Saturday that Festa is unlikely to return before the All-Star break after experiencing a setback in his recovery from a right shoulder impingement earlier this month, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.05/18
- 60-Day-ILPablo Lopez (SP) — The Twins placed Lopez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08
The Royals are short a lot more than just rotation depth. Maikel Garcia is still out with the hamstring, Jonathan India is on the 60-day, and Stephen Kolek — who just pitched Wednesday — is away on bereavement. They've still managed to claw out a win and a near-win at Target Field this week. They are who their 25-39 record says they are, but this is exactly the kind of spot where they grab a getaway game from a divisional contender that just lost its no. 2 starter.
Lean: Twins are the right side on talent, but -145 with a shaky bullpen behind a guy whose elbow has been a story is not a price to chase. The over 8.5 at +101 with Avila walking the park and Ryan's command graded against a Royals offense that's put up 11 runs in two games here is the more interesting number on the board.