“Joins LA on the 25th”… Countdown to Ryu Hyun-jin’s ML return nears zero

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin shed light on his rehabilitation success and the possibility of a long major league career.

Hyun-jin Ryu, who has been making rehabilitation appearances in the minor leagues, started a Triple-A game against the New York Mets at NBT Bank Stadium in Syracuse, N.Y., on June 22. It was Ryu’s fourth rehab start since undergoing elbow ligament reconstruction surgery last June.

After allowing two runs on 10 hits (one home run) and 11 walks with four strikeouts in 12 innings in three rehab starts through the Rookie League, Single-A and Triple-A, Ryu finished his scheduled four rehab starts with six innings of three-hit ball, five strikeouts, one walk and two runs. He threw 85 pitches (58 strikes plus 27 balls).

Keegan Matheson, the Toronto reporter for Major League Baseball’s official website, said on March 23, “Hyun-jin Ryu was pleased with his second Triple-A start. He will rejoin the team on April 25 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The club still has a few scenarios for when he returns, but they want to see him in person first,” indicating that Ryu’s return is imminent. Toronto is on the road at Seattle from April 22-24.

While rehabilitation usually involves traveling to a team’s home ballpark for a home series to utilize its facilities, following a road series and working out with teammates means that a major league call-up is not far off. Ryu could be ready to pitch as early as July 29-31 against the Los Angeles Angels.안전놀이터

In other words, Ryu’s rehab start was a passing grade. Ryu faced a tough lineup on April 22. All but three of Syracuse’s starting lineup (Ronnie Mauricio, Luke Ritter, and Nick Meyer) had major league experience, especially Luke Voit, the 2020 American League home run champion, who hit 95 home runs in 508 games, and Jose Peraza, a veteran of 618 major league games.

Ryu gave up a run in the fifth inning to Jonathan Araujo and Peraza on a solo shot to left field with a 2-0 lead, but he held Voit to three hits and a walk. He threw 85 pitches, unlike his last start (Aug. 16), when he threw 66 pitches, and looked worthy of a return to the rotation. For the first time in a rehab start, his fastball topped 90 miles per hour, touching 90.8.

However, it’s important to note that two of his home runs were on fastballs that were close to 90 mph. It will be interesting to see if Ryu can get the green light from the organization and get back on a major league mound.