Dyson (shoulder) faces setback, 'not pushing' it

RHP Alcala added to active roster ahead of doubleheader; Adrianza expects to play again this season

September 14th, 2019

CLEVELAND -- Sam Dyson hit another setback on Friday and shut down his throwing program after feeling pain and discomfort in his right shoulder. Dyson will receive a consultation with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Sept. 23 to determine his next steps, with season-ending surgery a possibility for the reliever.

Dyson had not thrown since he last appeared in a game against the Red Sox on Sept. 3 and tried throwing again for the first time on Friday but only lasted two throws before he stopped himself due to the issues in his shoulder.

"It settled down to the point where I could move my arm and feel like I was comfortable throwing," Dyson said. "But I hadn't thrown, and we were just going to give it some time. And it hadn't really bounced back."

Head athletic trainer Tony Leo said that an arthrogram on Dyson's right shoulder revealed what appeared to be a joint capsule sprain in the area. The Twins plan to rely on Dr. ElAttrache's recommendations to determine a course of action to deal with the injury.

"I was optimistic last week, and I was in the recovery process, but throwing yesterday, it wasn’t a positive note," Dyson said. "At some point, you can’t push things."

While the Twins lost Dyson for the foreseeable future on Saturday, they gained another reliever when they selected the contract of 24-year-old right-hander Jorge Alcala from Triple-A Rochester and added him to the active roster before the Twins' doubleheader against the Indians.

"This is something we have discussed," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "This is something we have kind of planned for. We didn’t know if it was going to take shape, but we felt like this was definitely the proper time to make it happen, and who knows, we might see him out there today."

Alcala, a starter ranked by MLB Pipeline as Minnesota's No. 23 prospect, was converted to a relief role earlier this season and was moved up to Rochester on Aug. 19 with fellow top prospect Brusdar Graterol, who was called up to the Twins as part of their initial wave of roster expansions in early September.

Though Alcala had a 5.47 ERA in 31 games this season with Double-A Pensacola and Rochester, he struck out 116 batters in 110 1/3 innings and allowed only two runs in 18 1/3 innings (a 0.98 ERA) since he became a full-time reliever in late July.

Alcala had been staying active by throwing bullpen sessions at the Twins' Minor League facilities in Fort Myers, Fla., since the end of the Minor League season. He was part of the return from the Astros when the Twins traded Ryan Pressly to Houston at last season's Trade Deadline.

"I was there throwing bullpens and practicing, but it was still a surprise," Alcala said. "I wasn't expecting [the call] yesterday."

Adrianza: 'I expect to play again this season'

Utility infielder Ehire Adrianza was sore but joined the Twins in Cleveland to begin treatment on his strained right oblique. He hopes to return to the field before the end of the regular season.

Adrianza said that he will undergo five days of treatment, including ice, massage and soft tissue work, and be evaluated for possible participation in baseball activity at the end of that stretch. He was removed from Thursday's game against the Nationals after appearing to injure the oblique on a swinging strike during a plate appearance in the second inning.

"It's not as [bad] as I expected," Adrianza said. "I expect to play again this season. That's a good thing for me. That's my goal, and I'll see how it goes. It's going to be day by day depending on how I feel."