The Toronto Blue Jays will be without high-priced left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu for at least 10 days, and possibly much longer than that. The Blue Jays placed Ryu on the 10-day injured list with left forearm inflammation, the team announced Sunday. Lefty reliever Ryan Borucki was activated off the injured list to take Ryu's roster spot.
Ryu, 35, has struggled in two starts this season, allowing 11 runs on 11 hits and two walks in 7 1/3 innings. Opponents are hitting .333/.371/.636 against him in the early going. Ryu was hit hard Saturday and sent for an MRI on Sunday. Manager Charlie Montoyo admitted he was concerned following Saturday's game.
"Of course I'm concerned. We're going to see how he feels after the news that I got," Montoyo told Sportsnet Shi Davidi.
Ryu has a long history of arm injuries, including Tommy John surgery in 2004 and major shoulder surgery in 2015. It's possible that, at age 35, the short spring training wasn't enough time for Ryu to prepare to the season given his injury history and arm care routine. The team has not yet released the results of Sunday's MRI.
With Ryu sidelined, the Blue Jays will move swingman Ross Stripling into the rotation. Lefty Anthony Kay and righties Nate Pearson and Trent Thornton could be rotation options as well. Pearson is currently on the injured list with mononucleosis, however.
Ryu is in the third season of a four-year, $80 million contract. He finished third in the AL Cy Young voting during the shortened 2020 season, when he threw 67 innings with a 2.69 ERA. Last season Ryu threw 169 innings with a 4.37 ERA around neck issues.
The Blue Jays come into Sunday with a 5-4 record. They were a trendy World Series pick entering 2022.
