Joe Ryan's Complicated 2026 Leaves Twins With a Major Decision

Ryan showed plenty of reasons to remain confident in his future, but injuries and an elevated home-run rate prevented the Twins ace from delivering the season Minnesota needed.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan. Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 2026 season is over for Joe Ryan, and it was a rocky one. There was a lot to like from Ryan's season, but also a lot left to be desired from what was expected when the season began.

The Good in Ryan's Season

Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Ryan. Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ryan showed this season that he can make a big start. An example was his outing at Yankee Stadium after dealing with struggles around that start. One of the biggest developments from a pitcher with the expectations of Ryan is growing into their own.

The Twins did not make the postseason, and Ryan is a part of that, as will be detailed, but Ryan proved that he can pitch in a big game on the road, and the start in the Bronx is a prime example of him doing so.

Ryan made 27 starts, and of them, 12 were quality starts (when a starter pitches six or more innings allowing three runs or less). It might not be a lot, but 12 is a decent amount for someone who is supposed to be the team's number one starter.

Ryan's underlying numbers were also solid this season, which is a good sign for the future. Ryan has a 3.70 xERA according to Statcast. That is .9 runs lower than Ryan's 3.79 ERA that he will end the season with. His walk rate is also in the 95th percentile in baseball, which is a phenomenal thing for a power pitcher like Ryan.

The Bad in Ryan's Season

This can be broken up in a few ways. The first is something out of his control, which is health. Ryan was placed on the IL in the middle of July until the end of August, so he missed more than a month.

Missing that much time was detrimental to the Twins' postseason chances. It can't be pinned solely on him, but sometimes availability is the best ability, and in 2026, Ryan was not fully available.

Remember that talk about Ryan making a big start? There were other times, particularly in games within the division, where Ryan could not get out of his own way. The biggest issue that Ryan needs to fix this offseason is the ability to keep the ball in the ballpark.

This season, Ryan is posting a 1.31 HR/9 rate, according to FanGraphs. The home runs were up in the second half of the season, which could be due to health or fatigue.

With that being said, Ryan does have an xHR rate of 18.8, opposed to the 21 he gave up, which means he's been a bit unlucky with the long ball.

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