The Minnesota Twins' pitching depth is about to get its biggest possible test, and the club needs some hurlers to prove themselves.

Ace Joe Ryan left Sunday's 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning due to elbow soreness, and the club must hope that it's not a UCL injury. That usually requires Tommy John surgery, a season-ending procedure for pitchers.

It's not known how severe Ryan's injury is at this time, as manager Derek Shelton said in-game that he was getting evaluated , per The Athletic. However, Minnesota's other pitchers must step up if the 2025 All-Star misses time.

The Twins' bullpen did just that on Sunday, as right-hander Andrew Morris tossed 3.2 scoreless innings after Ryan left and earned his first win of the season. The squad allowed just one run before the ninth inning, when right-hander Justin Topa coughed up two runs in his second save of the season.

However, Minnesota's starting rotation must follow suit. Right-hander Mick Abel (elbow) is on the 15-day injured list, so the club could temporarily be down two starters.

Twins Need More From Simeon Woods Richardson

As for the Twins' other regular starters, right-handers Bailey Ober (3-1, 3.55 ERA) and Taj Bradley (3-1, 2.85 ERA) are already pulling their weight. However, fellow right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson (0-5, 6.49 ERA) has not looked like himself through seven starts.

Woods Richardson went 5-5 with a 4.17 ERA over 28 starts as a rookie in 2023 and 7-4 with a 4.04 ERA over 23 games (22 starts) last year. The 25-year-old could establish himself as a long-term piece this season, but he's been outshined by his teammates.

Minnesota acquired Woods Richardson and outfielder Austin Martin from the Toronto Blue Jays for Jose Berrios in 2021. Martin has yet to play a full season, but he has a .275/.366/.369 career slash line over 172 games and is slashing .333/.484/.431 across 31 contests this year.

If Woods Richardson gets back to his usual form, then the organization can feel good about the aforementioned trade despite Berrios' success. The 31-year-old is 53-39 with a 4.09 ERA over 139 games (138 starts) since the deal, but the Twins got younger players who each have upside.

Meanwhile, Ryan's future with the Twins was already in question before Sunday. The 29-year-old has a mutual option for 2027, so it would make sense for them to trade him before he potentially opts out this offseason and rebuild around younger talent. That option would be even more attractive if Woods Richardson bounces back and Abel (24) performs well when he returns.

Minnesota is 15-20 after Sunday's win. Up next is a road trip against the Washington Nationals and Cleveland Guardians starting with Tuesday's Nationals matchup. Bradley will start against Washington right-hander Cade Cavalli .