Joe Ryan is one step away from being cleared to make his weekend start for the Minnesota Twins and eradicating panic about a possible elbow injury.

Ryan is scheduled for a bullpen session on Wednesday, which follows a "normal" MRI exam that showed no structural damage to his right elbow and a pain-free throwing session on flat ground Tuesday afternoon in Washington before the second game of their series with the Nationals.

He left Sunday's game against the Blue Jays after two batters due to elbow discomfort.

"He went out and threw today, which was a really good sign. Everything was normal," manager Derek Shelton said. "If everything goes according to plan, then he'll make (his) start on the regular day."

Ryan has been on the current road trip with the Twins and would be in line to start against the Guardians over the weekend. He's 2-3 in eight starts with 40 strikeouts and a 3.72 ERA in 2026.

Ryan, 29, was bothered by back tightness in spring training but the issues are unrelated.

Ryan had a 13-10 record with a 3.42 ERA with 194 strikeouts for the Twins last season.