Twins' Joe Ryan: Ready to face hitters
Ryan (back) checked out well after his bullpen session Saturday and is slated to face hitters in live batting practice in the coming days, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Ryan has yet to make his Grapefruit League debut, after he was scratched ahead of his scheduled outing last weekend when he experienced inflammation on the right side of his back. The right-hander was cleared to resume working out a few days after suffering the injury and seems to be moving through his throwing program as anticipated. While the back issue will prevent Ryan from pitching for Team USA during pool play in the World Baseball Classic, he's still part of the designated player pool and could be available for the second round of the WBC if his schedule aligns with it. Before that, Ryan is expected to pitch in a Grapefruit League game about five or six days after he throws his live BP session, per Matthew Leach of MLB.com.
