Clayton Kershaw returning from the 10-day injured list this week seemingly marked the start of the Los Angeles Dodgers getting back to full health in their rotation. They’ve yet to reach that point in 2019, as Kershaw and Rich Hill began the season on the IL.
Then, Hyun-Jin Ryu suffered a strained groin in the second inning of his start on April 8. Despite missing more than three months last season because of a tear in the muscle, Ryu made encouraging progress early on.
Coupled with Rich Hill continuing to recover from a strained MCL suffered during Spring Training, the Dodgers figured to have their full complement of starters within a few weeks. That notion was further supported when manager Dave Roberts indicated Ryu was nearing a return.
That is now set to be Saturday, as Ryu will be activated for a start against the Milwaukee Brewers, which pushes Kershaw back to the four-game series finale at Miller Park, per Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
Ryu starts Saturday, Kershaw starts Sunday.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) April 18, 2019
Ryu’s start will come two days after being eligible to be reinstated from the injured list. The Dodgers filled his turn in the rotation last weekend by relying on a bullpen game against the Brewers.
After throwing from flat ground on multiple occasions, Ryu built up to a bullpen session that called for the left-hander to work on his entire arsenal. Roberts was pleased with the bullpen and made it clear unlike that Hill and Kershaw, Ryu would return without making a rehab start.
