In two appearances with the Twins, relief pitcher Sam Dyson did not lock down the late innings like he did for most of the season with San Francisco. Something had to be wrong.
And the Twins have found the problem.
The righthander was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday because of right biceps tendinitis. The Twins learned of the condition after his outing Friday, when he gave up four hits and three runs to the Royals. In two appearances since getting traded Tuesday, Dyson has given up six earned runs in two-thirds of an inning for an 81.00 ERA.
"It's something that he's probably been dealing with for a little bit," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "I think it was probably affecting him, although he's going to tell you he's good and he can pitch and he's ready to go."
Dyson underwent an magnetic resonance imaging exam, and the Twins are confident that the injury is not serious and he will need days and not weeks to recover. Dyson was willing to pitch through the discomfort, Baldelli said, but the club decided to give him time.
"He pitches through things, and he continued to tell us he was good to go," Baldelli said. "But we also knew that he was not 100%, and we want to make sure he is 100% for the stretch run and the rest of the season."
Dyson posted a 2.47 ERA in 51 innings with the Giants. Medical reports are exchanged between clubs before deals are consummated, but the Twins are not crying foul. There was some surprise when they learned he was battling soreness, but not enough to question the reports they received.
"He didn't have any open injuries, and from our medical review and otherwise, we felt good about where he was," Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey said. "This is something that has probably popped up for him more recently, and I'm not saying just the days he's been with us, but something that he had to work through. Now, our focus is just trying to get him as healthy as possible."
