Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto Blue Jays) is making good progress in his rehab start. If he continues to perform flawlessly, there’s no reason for Toronto to hesitate to bring him back to the major leagues.
Ryu made a start against the 2023 Triple-A Syracuse Mets at NBT Bank Stadium in Syracuse, New York (USA) on 22 July.
Ryu faced a Syracuse lineup of Danny Mendick (right fielder), Ronnie Mauricio (left fielder), Luke Voit (designated hitter), Jonathan Araujo (shortstop), Rafael Ortega (centre fielder), Luke Ritter (second baseman), Jose Peraza (first baseman), Nick Meyer (third baseman) and Thomas Nido (catcher).
It was a minor league game, of course, but the Syracuse bats were formidable. Six of their batters have big league experience, including Voit, who is best known for hitting with Ha-Sung Kim (28, San Diego Padres) last year. Five of them, with the exception of Araujo, have more than 100 major league games under their belts.
Ryu gave up two solo home runs to Arias and Peraza in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the game at 2-2, but he closed out the game in the bottom of the sixth without allowing another run. The team went on to win 4-2, giving Ryu his second win of his rehab start.
Ryu’s final line was six innings, three hits (two home runs), one walk, five strikeouts and two runs. Despite the two home runs, he successfully completed his fourth rehab start with a quality start (three earned runs or less in the first six innings). It was also encouraging to see that he threw the most pitches (85), the most innings (six), and the highest velocity (90.8 miles per hour, or about 146.1 kilometres per hour) of his four rehab starts.
After his fourth rehab start, Ryu’s pitching was so good that local reports suggested his return to the big leagues was imminent. “Ryu, who has been sidelined for about 13 months with Tommy John surgery to repair ligaments in his elbow, could join the team’s starting lineup as early as next week,” CBS Sports reported after the game.온라인바카
Ryu Hyun-jin has been feeling better and better since his Rookie League start on the 5th. The key to his return to the big leagues was not only being healthy, but also being able to throw the right pitches and go the right number of innings as a starter.
However, it looks like Toronto can stop worrying about that now. Ryu has made good progress in his rehabilitation, upping his pitch count, innings, and velocity in his fourth start. He’s shown flashes of brilliance in Triple-A, the gateway to the majors, so there’s no reason to hold off on his return.
Meanwhile, Toronto is set to embark on a deadly 17-game homestand, beginning with a series against the Los Angeles Angels on the 28th and ending at home against the Chicago Cubs on the 14th of next month. It will be interesting to see if Ryu’s return to the mound can revitalise the Jays in the midst of such a gruelling schedule.