Hyun-Jin Ryu looks good.
The 36-year-old had Tommy John surgery in June of 2022, and made his third start in his rehab assignment, and his first start with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.
The lefty returned to Sahlen Park on Saturday, and finished with a line of 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Ryu also had 66 pitches, going one over his set limit of 65 pitches in the outing.
Ryu looks good. Not only was the stuff and command looking good, but Ryu has dropped 35 pounds since he last pitched, and it clearly shows.
As for the stuff itself, he touched 89.8 mph on the fastball, but averaged 87.9 mph on the 27 fastballs he threw on the evening. Moreover, his fastball only generated two whiffs on 13 total swings for a 15 whiff%.
The pitch with the best whiff percentage was the curveball, which was thrown 11 times. He generated two swings and misses on five total swings for a 40 whiff %. Moreover, he threw a cutter and a changeup, generating one whiff between the two pitches on 15 total swings.
In the 36-year-old’s three starts in the minor leagues, he has struck out 11 batters in 12 innings pitched, while not allowing a walk and giving up two earned runs. I mean, this is what you’d expect from a two-time Cy Young runner up against teenagers and Triple-A players, but it’s nice to see his advanced command return.
Noted on the Blue Jays broadcast on Saturday, the plan is for Ryu to get to 85 pitches before returning to Toronto. Moreover, the Jays have until August 3rd before his rehab assignment ends, meaning someone on the 40-man roster will have to be designated for assignment.
With all that being said, if Ryu can return to his 2020 form, that would be a huge boost for the Blue Jays starting rotation.
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