Twins General Manager Terry Ryan told reporters at a press conference Sunday that he is close to returning full-time to his position as general manager.
Since he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in February, Ryan has not been able to fulfill his role as general manager. Doctors moved quickly after Ryan’s diagnosis and performed surgery to remove the cancerous mass on his neck on Feb. 11, according to MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger.
Ryan has slowly moved back into his position in the front office after finishing his radiation treatments in late April. He also told reporters he is at about 80 percent, and that he still is having some problems with swallowing and his energy level.
Assistant General Manager Rob Antony, who served as general manager in Ryan’s absence, disagreed with Ryan’s self-diagnosis, saying he believes Ryan is closer to 90 percent.
“I think he’s closer to 90 percent because he has a lot of energy,” Antony told Bollinger. “He has spark and his energy back. But that being said, he’s the only one who knows how his throat feels and everything.”
Ryan has already made an impact during his short time back with the Twins. He closed the deal to bring in new first baseman/designated hitter Kendrys Morales, and he was also involved with the signing of first-round draft pick Nick Gordon.
So far, Ryan’s transition back into his full-time position has been seamless, according to Antony. He said he has already advised teams to begin talking to Ryan instead of himself.
Since Ryan is not full-strength Antony is still traveling with the team on road trips. Bollinger did say however that Ryan is hoping to join the team on their road trip to Anaheim and Texas beginning June 24.
Ryan joined Bob Sansevere and Mike Morris on 1o5 The Ticket Monday. He said he is very fortunate that his cancer was treatable and also said he believes he will be back at work on a full-time basis in about a month.
