Ryu Hyun-jin (36-Toronto Blue Jays) is set to return to the major leagues. Shohei Ohtani (29-LA Angels) will face off against him.
Canadian Sportsnet reporter Aden Zwelling announced Toronto’s starting line-up against the Los Angeles Dodgers on social media on 24 April.
Toronto will start Jose Berrios on day one (25th), followed by Chris Bassett (26th) and Yusei Kikuchi (27th) in the starting rotation, ready to face the Dodgers.
Naturally, there is a lot of interest in the timing of Ryu’s return. It was widely expected that Ryu would make his return against either the Dodgers or the Angels, but now that it has been announced that he will not start against the Dodgers, it is more likely that he will start against the Angels.
Ryu Hyun-jin underwent a long rehabilitation period of about 13 months after undergoing Tommy John surgery (elbow ligament reconstruction) last year. He has since regained his health and started pitching in the Rookie League on the 5th.
In his most recent (and fourth) rehab start, on the 22nd, he pitched six innings against the New York Mets’ Triple-A affiliate, allowing two runs on three hits (two home runs) with one walk and five strikeouts. The team he faced included a number of players with major league experience, including slugger Luke Voit, so Ryu’s clean pitching was enough to raise expectations.
Following Ryu’s strong rehab start, local media outlets were quick to report that his return to the big leagues was imminent. After his fourth rehab appearance, CBS Sports reported that “Ryu, who has been sidelined for about 13 months with Tommy John surgery, could join the team’s starting lineup as early as next week,” indicating that he is ready to go.
In four rehab appearances, Ryu has pitched a combined 18 innings with 16 strikeouts and four earned runs with a 2.00 ERA. Along with his impressive pitching has been one concern: his velocity, which has been in perfect shape, touching 90.8 miles per hour (146.1 km/h) in his most recent outing.바카라
The Daily Hive, a Canadian outlet, reported on the 24th, “The slight concern with Ryu was his velocity in the low 80s. However, Ryu recently threw up to 90.8 mph and regained his average velocity. If he can pitch like he did during his rehabilitation, he’ll be a big boost to Toronto’s starting rotation,” the outlet wrote.
Meanwhile, Toronto will begin a 17-game homestand against the Angels on the 29th before returning home to face the Chicago Cubs on the 14th of next month. Many fans are eager to see what Ryu can bring to the team.