Former All-Star Getting Closer to Return with Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu is working his way back from Tommy John surgery and could be an option for the Blue Jays rotation at the end of July.

The Toronto Blue Jays are getting closer to getting back former All-Star Hyun-Jin Ryu, who is making rehab starts as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.

The following update comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:

Ryu (elbow) struck out one over four scoreless innings in his most recent rehab start Sunday with Single-A Dunedin, scattering three hits and issuing no walks.

ANALYSIS
Making his second rehab start as he builds back up following his Tommy John surgery last June, Ryu spotted 27 of his 37 pitches for strikes and generated four swings and misses on the day. According to Mitch Bannon of SI.com, Ryu's fastball topped out at 88.4 miles per hour, about a tick below his average from the 2022 season. The 36-year-old lefty doesn't need premium velocity to find success, so as long as he continues to show strong command and control in his subsequent rehab outings, the Blue Jays will likely be comfortable finding a spot for him in their rotation. Since he'll likely need at least two more rehab starts to get fully stretched out, Ryu shouldn't be expected to return from the 60-day injured list any earlier than the final week of July.

That would be a good piece for the Jays to get back around the trade deadline, providing an additional arm at no additional cost.

It's not been determined yet if Ryu will officially join the rotation, but the fact that he's an option to pair with the likes of Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman, Yusei Kikuchi, Chris Bassitt and Alek Manoah is a good luxury.

Ryu will be partaking in his tenth season in the majors with the Dodgers and Blue Jays.

He's 75-45 lifetime with a 3.27 ERA. He led the league in ERA (2.32) in 2019 with the Dodgers. He made the All-Star Game that same year.

The Blue Jays are currently 50-41 and in third place in the American League East. They are 7.0 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are currently tied with the Astros for the 2nd/3rd wild card spot, though.

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