Blue Jays' Hyun Jin Ryu Placed on 10-Day IL , Ryan Borucki Activated
The Blue Jays will be without veteran starter Hyun Jin Ryu for at least one turn through the rotation.
Ryu was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday after experiencing "some left forearm soreness" after Saturday's start against the Athletics. The Blue Jays sent Ryu for an MRI Sunday morning, revealing inflammation.
Across Ryu’s 53 pitches in a 7-5 loss to Oakland on Saturday the lefty’s velocity was down from his average, losing .8 MPH on the fastball. Including a 452-foot homer to A’s catcher Sean Murphy, Ryu let up six pieces of hard contact in the loss (over 95 MPH exit velocity), allowing five earned runs.
In place of Ryu, the Jays have activated lefty reliever Ryan Borucki, who had rejoined the team on Saturday to continue rehabbing an early-season hamstring injury. In 23.2 innings for the Jays last season Borucki posted a 4.94 ERA and 5.66 FIP. Alongside Nate Pearson, the lefty began the season on the 10-day IL.
With Ryu out at least 10 days, swingman Ross Stripling is expected to take his place in Toronto's rotation. Though breaking camp in the bullpen, Stripling was prepared to start during Toronto's packed early-season schedule. The righty made his first rotation outing of the year with four shutout innings against the A's on Friday.
Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon