Blue Jays announce official return date for starting pitcher Hyun-jin Ryu

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Hyun-jin Ryu will make his first start of the season on Tuesday versus the Baltimore Orioles.

There had been reports that Ryu would return to the Blue Jays’ rotation this past week, but they instead opted to have him throw a bullpen session on Wednesday. It obviously went well, resulting in his much-anticipated return this coming week.

Ryu has been on the IL all season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last June. The 36-year-old has made four rehab starts in order to prepare for his return, all of which went exceptionally well. The Blue Jays’ only concern was that his velocity was reportedly down a tick, though he has never been a pitcher that relies on throwing hard.

Ryu, who is in the final year of a four-year, $80 million contract, struggled before his injury last season with an ERA of 5.67 through six starts. That said, throughout his career, he has been a very good pitcher, and now that he is back to full health, there is plenty of reason to believe he can provide a major boost to this Blue Jays pitching staff.

Despite having Ryu join the starting rotation, the Blue Jays have no plans to remove anyone else from it as of now. Manager John Schneider confirmed on Friday afternoon that they will roll with a six-man unit for the time being, though that could change as the season progresses. If they were to relegate anybody to bullpen duties, it would likely be Alek Manoah, who has struggled to a 6.10 ERA through 16 starts this season.

The Blue Jays are getting Ryu back at a good time, as they currently sit just 1.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox for the third and final wild card position in the AL with a record of 57-46. They will look to improve upon that this evening as they are set to take on the Los Angeles Angels at 7:07 pm ET.

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