Ryan nearing game action; Classic status still up in air

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Twins right-hander Joe Ryan is getting closer to a game appearance and, he hopes, also getting closer to receiving clarity on his status for the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

Ryan was scratched from his scheduled Grapefruit League debut last Saturday due to inflammation in his lower back, but he said Friday that he has already thrown lightly off a mound since then. He’ll throw a full bullpen session on Saturday, which presumably would be the last thing he’d need to check off before appearing in a game next week.

“Obviously, the timing sucks,” Ryan said, “but there's some little things I've been working through that I was trying to tackle for a long time, and I feel like I tweaked something in that space. ...

“It was pretty small but definitely was still the right call. I feel good about that. I feel like I'm in a good spot, and I've learned a lot of things that are going to be helpful for this season and future seasons to come.”

As for the Classic, that remains less clear. The Twins and USA Baseball officials have been in contact with the goal of sorting out a plan that works for everyone, but it’s still not settled. It’s somewhat difficult to envision Ryan pitching in the early rounds of the event, but it seems feasible that he might appear if Team USA were to advance to knockout play.

“It's still kind of unknown,” Ryan said. “I just keep hearing it's a fluid situation. That's where we're at. All the parties involved have been super helpful and communicative, and there's a really good plan there and a lot of optimism. We're going to keep pushing in that direction and see where things take us. But I think there's a good plan in place.”

Twins add a reliever
The Twins claimed right-handed reliever Zak Kent off waivers from the Cardinals on Thursday, placing Pablo López on the 60-day injured list. Kent, 28, made 12 appearances for the Guardians last year, posting a 4.58 ERA in 17 2/3 innings with 16 strikeouts and eight walks.

Kent had been a starter for the bulk of his professional career before moving to relief last year, striking out 50 in 38 innings for Cleveland’s Triple-A Columbus affiliate. He joins a crowded mix of pitchers attempting to secure spots in the Minnesota bullpen.

“He’s put up some nice numbers in Triple-A along the way, and he cut his teeth in the big leagues last year,” said general manager Jeremy Zoll. “I’m looking forward to getting to work with him and seeing him in game action.”

Twins tidbits
Bailey Ober is scheduled to throw live batting practice again Sunday. He’s healthy and progressing, but for now he’s throwing live BP instead of pitching in games. He’ll likely begin working his way into games after Monday’s off-day. … Liam Hendriks threw a live BP session on a back field prior to Friday’s game, facing Kaelen Culpepper, Walker Jenkins and Kala’i Rosario. Jenkins hit a pair of home runs off the veteran, who is building back up after dealing with nerve injury in his right elbow that ended his 2025 season prematurely.