Three days after undergoing successful surgery to remove a cancerous lump from his neck, Twins General Manager Terry Ryan was discharged from the Mayo Clinic on Friday, as reported by La Velle Neal III of the Star Tribune.
According to team spokesman Dustin Morse, Ryan said he is “doing well.” He will spend the next few days recovering at home. Ryan announced on Monday that he was diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma, one of the most common forms of skin cancer. Doctors are confident the cancer had not spread.
Ryan will not join the team in Fort Myers, Florida for Spring Training, which begins Sunday when pitchers and catchers report for duty. Position players are due to report on Friday, Feb. 21.
Terry Ryan's discharge from @MayoClinic made my day. TR is doing well. He and his family are grateful for indredible outpouring of support.
— Dave St. Peter (@TwinsPrez) February 14, 2014
Awesome news! RT @TwinsPrez: Terry Ryan's discharge from @MayoClinic made my day. TR is doing well. (cont) http://t.co/Rv7MvqgeRe
— Michael Cuddyer (@mcuddy23) February 14, 2014
Under Ryan’s direction, the Twins had their busiest offseason in recent memory. He signed free-agent starting pitchers Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco, backup catcher Kurt Suzuki and familiar faces Jason Kubel and Jason Bartlett.
“It sent a message that the guys we had here weren’t good enough, for one,” closer Glen Perkins said of all the free-agent acquisitions. “It’s been a pretty crappy three years. I was laying in bed (the other) night thinking about it, that we’ve been backed into a corner. We need to start punching our way out.
“We’ve had our teeth kicked in, and we need to start kicking other peoples’ teeth back and start fighting back. That’s the first step.”
A few players are already in Florida. Third baseman Trevor Plouffe gained 10-12 pounds of muscle since the end of last season and starting pitcher Vance Worley dropped 20 pounds, according to Neal. Both are hoping to have bounce-back seasons after struggling throughout the 2013 campaign.
