After a day off Thursday, the Twins absorbed a lot of news before starting a crucial double-header against the Guardians on Friday at Target Field.

Most of the news was bad.

Specifically, right-hander Joe Ryan was placed on the 15-day injured list with a Grade 2 strain to his teres major, a slim muscle on the inside of the shoulder. A magnetic resonance imaging exam revealed the injury on Thursday.

The Twins had hoped the injury, initially diagnosed as a triceps strain, would be something short-term. Instead, manager Rocco Baldelli said, recovery will be more in the “weeks to months” range.

“Joe has a legitimate strain and it’s something that has to heal,” Baldelli said. “It’s going to need time to heal up, and he’ll do everything he can to get himself right and get back, but this is going to be a little while.”

To take his place on the active roster, the Twins called right-hander Scott Blewett up from Class AAA St. Paul. Blewett, 28, hasn’t pitched in the majors since making three relief appearances for Kansas City in 2021. Signed to a minor league contract in January, he was 5-2 with a 3.66 earned-run average in 36 appearances (three starts) with the Saints.

Asked if Ryan will miss the rest of the season, Baldelli said, “We’re far from making any declarative statements on Joe.”

“Joe’s going to get a second opinion,” the manager added. “We’re very early in this, but we know what the MRI says so we’re going to have to see how the coming weeks go before we can know anything, probably.”

More bad news, if not unexpected, Brock Stewart — a lights-out reliever for Minnesota when healthy the past two seasons — will have arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder and miss the rest of the season.

Rookie Brooks Lee, whose defense and switch-hitting had found him a consistent spot in the lineup, was placed on the 10-day injured list with biceps tendinitis. He has been playing through pain and icing after games but “came in today and said basically his shoulder is just killing him,” Baldelli said.

To take Lee’s place on the active roster, the Twins activated Kyle Farmer from the injured list and put him immediately into the lineup for Game 1. He will play second base and bat ninth.

Briefly

Oakldale’s Louie Varland was recalled from St. Paul as the 27th man for Friday’s double-header and will start Game 2, set for a 7:10 p.m. first pitch. Bailey Ober will start the 1:10 p.m. game.

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