Of the six pitchers vying for the final two spots in the Los Angeles Dodgers starting rotation, four — Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Alex Wood — are coming off a 2016 campaign in which they battled injury.
In Ryu’s case, he essentially lost a second consecutive year to season-ending surgery. After undergoing an operation in May 2015 to repair a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, Ryu suffered multiple setbacks in his recovery last spring.
The left-hander didn’t make his 2016 debut until July, which was two months later than the initial projection. Ryu’s availability was short-lived, as elbow tendinitis forced him to the DL, and an elbow procedure later followed.
The 29-year-old recently threw a bullpen session at Camelback Ranch and is said to be in good health. However, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the club has not yet penciled Ryu in for a start, according to ESPN’s Doug Padilla:
Despite positive early bullpens, the Dodgers will take it slow with starter Hyun-Jin Ryu. The Cactus League schedule starts Saturday, and as of now, Ryu is not scheduled to pitch in a game. “It is kind of contingent on his progress,” manager Dave Roberts said.
The Dodgers open Cactus League play on Saturday against the Chicago White Sox. Clayton Kershaw is presumed to get the ball in the lid-lifter, followed by Rich Hill on Sunday and Kenta Maeda on Monday.
From there, Los Angeles could use any order of Kazmir, McCarthy, Ryu, Brock Stewart or Ross Stripling. Julio Urias is also expected to be part of the rotation during Spring Training, not necessarily so come Opening Day.
Ryu recently expressed a belief he’s capable of earning a spot in the rotation by the regular season, citing his improved health and confidence when compared to Spring Training in 2016.
