Dodgers' Hyun-Jin Ryu Leaves Start After Getting Hit by Line Drive

The Dodgers were supposedly close to deciding Ryu's role on the playoff roster.

In a start that unofficially served as a tryout for the Dodgers' postseason roster, Hyun-jin Ryu had to leave in the third inning Saturday after getting drilled by a line drive. The team announced Ryu's X-rays came back negative and he has a forearm contusion.

Giants second baseman Joe Panik smoked an 0-1 pitch off Ryu's throwing arm, injuring the lefthander only 36 pitches into his evening and forcing him to exit.

Panik drills Ryu with comebacker. He's hurt. Got the out, then grabbed upper body and now down on his knees. #SFGiants

— Henry Schulman BLUE CHECK MARK (@hankschulman) September 24, 2017

Manager Dave Roberts hasn't officially announced his team's postseason starters, but it's widely speculated that Alex Wood, Yu Darvish and Rich Hill will follow Clayton Kershaw in the Dodgers' playoff rotation. Roberts was quoted Friday saying the team would reassess its October pitching options after Ryu's start. 

Ryu has a 2.36 ERA in nine starts since July but hasn't been able to pitch deep into games. He's averaged roughly 5 1/3 innings per start in the aforementioned nine-game span.

Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Timesbrought up Ryu's injury history as a reason the Dodgers couldn't have him operate out of the bullpen. Since undergoing shoulder surgery two years ago, McCullough wrote, the lefthander must go through an exhaustive pregame routine to warm up properly. LA pitching coach Rick Honeycutt told McCullough that Ryu could not mirror that warmup routine mid-game as a reliever.

Perhaps Ryu's injury on Friday will preclude the Dodgers from having to make any decision at all.