admin“Korean Monster” Hyun-jin Ryu (36-Toronto Blue Jays) has been scheduled for his third rehab start after surgery. A timetable for his return to the big league mound is also expected soon.
Ryu will start a Triple-A game at 7:05 a.m. ET on April 16 at Salem Field in Buffalo, New York. He will throw a relief appearance against the Detroit Tigers’ Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens.
Triple-A Buffalo, Toronto’s affiliate, announced on Friday that “Hyun-Jin Ryu will start a game on Saturday. He has made two rehab appearances with the Rookie League FCL Blue Jays and Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays.”
Ryu Hyun-jin has been rehabbing for over a year after undergoing ligament splicing surgery on his left elbow last June. He initially aimed to return to the major leagues in July of this year, but so far, he has been making good progress.
On May 5, Ryu made his first appearance in the Rookie League after undergoing elbow ligament reconstruction surgery. He pitched three innings of four-hit ball with five strikeouts and one run, then followed that up with four innings of three-hit ball with one strikeout in a Single-A game on Tuesday.
His fastball velocity hasn’t fully returned. His fastball was up to 142.3 mph in his most recent rehab start, so it will be interesting to see how it performs in his third full start.
For now, Ryu will be looking to up his pitch count significantly for Game 16. He threw 42 pitches on Day 5 and 37 pitches on Day 10, but he needs to be able to throw around 100 pitches per game to make a successful return to the majors as a starter.
According to Canadian outlet Sportsnet, “Ryu is expected to throw about 65 pitches on the 16th. Toronto expects him to increase his pitch count to about 85 before returning to the big leagues.”
“Ryu needs to improve his low velocity from before the surgery. If all goes well, Ryu could be back in Toronto’s starting rotation by the end of July.”바카라사이트
Ryu’s four-year, $80 million free agent contract with Toronto ends after the 2019 season. He is expected to return to the big leagues this month and will need to prove himself as a starter in the second half of the season before a decision can be made.
Ryu’s team, Toronto, finished third in the American League East with a 51-41 record in the first half of the regular season. They are currently in a postseason wild-card race with the Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, and New York Yankees.