Twins’ Joe Ryan on track to make next start after elbow scare

WASHINGTON D.C. — It seemed unlikely when Joe Ryan walked off the Target Field mound in the first inning on Sunday with elbow soreness that he would be available to make his next start.

But Ryan immediately had imaging taken that did not show any structural damage, and everything has felt good since that point. On Wednesday, he cleared another hurdle, throwing a bullpen, and now he’s on track to start Saturday in Cleveland, a truly best-case scenario for the Twins.

“That’s the word,” Ryan said. “Go out there and go strike some guys out.”

Ryan tested things out on Tuesday, playing catch at Nationals Park. On Wednesday, he walked away from his bullpen pleased with the results and how he felt.

“It felt good. Velos were good,” Ryan said. “All offspeed stuff was working well. It felt nice. … I would say like maybe just less reps this week, but stuff is better than it’s been in the bullpen. So it was good.”

Twins acquire reliever

The Twins will be making an addition to their bullpen in the coming days after acquiring Yoendrys Gómez from Tampa Bay on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations. Gómez, 26, had been designated for assignment by the Rays after compiling a 6.23 earned-run average through his first 17 1/3 innings this season.

“It’s a big arm,” manager Derek Shelton said. “It’s a guy we saw in spring training a couple times. We really liked him. But it just adds some velocity to our bullpen.

Shelton said they expect to add Gómez to the 26-man roster over the next couple of days, at which point they will make a roster move.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Twins have designated right-handed pitcher Christian Roa for assignment. Roa was acquired off waivers from the Houston Astros on April 23.

Correa out for season

The Twins’ highest-paid player this season — Pablo López — was ruled out before the season even began. Now, so is the player who will earn the third-highest amount from the Twins this season.