After making significant progress with his rehab assignment, Hyun-Jin Ryu suffered a setback following a start with Triple-A Oklahoma City in late May. The southpaw was temporarily shut down and the timeline for his return was unclear.
Ryu had thrown a combined nine innings over three rehab starts, two of which came with High-A Rancho Cucamonga. His shoulder issue came after he tossed 55 pitches over four scoreless innings, plus an additional 10 pitches on the side; it was Ryu’s most extensive work to that point.
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated Ryu overcoming the latest hurdle had some to do with pain tolerance. While the setback was enough to stop Ryu from throwing, Roberts explained it didn’t necessarily fully reset his rehab clock.
Now more than three weeks removed from Ryu’s last outing, he’s scheduled to pitch for High-A Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday, according to Andy McCullough of the LA Times:
Hyun-Jin Ryu will pitch for Rancho Cucamonga tomorrow.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) June 11, 2016
And although Roberts indicated otherwise, it appears Ryu is indeed starting from scratch as he looks to build back up:
Hyun-Jin Ryu will throw two innings, Roberts said. He'll need 4-5 starts to be ready. So his throwing program has basically been reset.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) June 11, 2016
The Quakes are entering a busy stretch for rehabbing Dodgers, as Brandon McCarthy started Saturday for the Minor League affiliate. Yasiel Puig, on the 15-day disabled list due to a left hamstring strain, is expected to join the Quakes Monday for his rehab assignment.
Roberts previously remarked he expects Ryu to make four rehab starts before joining the Dodgers’ rotation. That rough timeline suggests it’s plausible Ryu takes the mound in a Major League game prior to the All-Star break. However, the Dodgers presumably would err on the side of caution and not activate Ryu from the DL until after the Midsummer Classic.
