The Los Angeles Dodgers recently hit a stretch of encouraging, regular updates pertaining to recovering starting pitchers Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu. The two were throwing bullpen sessions and live batting practice at Dodger Stadium as they built up to starting a rehab assignment.
However, McCarhty hit a snag in his recovery from Tommy John surgery last week as his throwing program was temporarily put on hold. Meanwhile, Ryu started May 15 for High-A Rancho Cucamonga, throwing two scoreless innings.
He made another start with the Quakes, then joined Triple-A Oklahoma City. Ryu tossed 55 pitches over four innings with the OKC Dodgers in his most extensive work during a rehab assignment. That unfortunately was met with soreness that’s forced Ryu to halt his recovery.
More recently, Alex Wood was placed on the 15-day disabled list and diagnosed with a posterior impingement in his left elbow that will require approximately four weeks of rest.
As for McCarthy, he overcame the minor setback to throw a bullpen session at Dodger Stadium last week, and will face live hitters on Monday, according to J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group:
Brandon McCarthy throws to live hitters tomorrow.
— J.P. Hoornstra (@jphoornstra) May 29, 2016
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said earlier this month McCarthy and Ryu were on track to return within one week of each other, with that likely taking place in June. McCarthy previously stated his goal was to return for one or two starts prior to the All-Star break.
McCarthy went 3-0 with a 5.87 ERA last season before undergoing season-ending surgery in late-April.
