1:45pm: The Blue Jays announced that Ryu has been placed back on the 15-day injured list due to renewed inflammation in his left forearm. Right-hander Jeremy Beasley’s contract has been selected from Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move. He’ll take Ryu’s spot on the active roster (likely to fill a spot in the ’pen as Stripling slides into Ryu’s rotation spot).
Beasley, 26, allowed eight runs in 9 1/3 innings for the Jays in 2021, but he’s posted a 1.01 ERA with a 31.6% strikeout rate and an 8.1% walk rate in 26 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level so far in 2022.
11:06am: Blue Jays lefty Hyun Jin Ryu was slated to undergo an MRI this morning after he exited last night’s game with recurring forearm tightness, manager Charlie Montoyo told reporters (Twitter link via TSN’s Scott Mitchell). It doesn’t seem there’ll be an official update on Ryu today, as Montoyo now says that Ryu is still being evaluated (Twitter link via Shi Davidi of Sportsnet). It’s likely that Ross Stripling will take Ryu’s next turn in the rotation, however.
It’s the second forearm issue of the season for the 35-year-old Ryu, who has struggled to a 5.33 ERA through just six starts and 27 innings thus far in 2022. Ryu spent about a month on the injured list with what the team termed forearm inflammation, and a recurrence and subsequent round of imaging is an obvious cause for concern. Montoyo told Mitchell and others that Ryu appears to be dealing with “kind of the same thing he had last time,” which doesn’t instill much confidence.
Should Ryu require another absence, the Jays are at least stocked to withstand the loss. Offseason signee Kevin Gausman and Alek Manoah have pitched with top-of-the-rotation results, while newcomer Yusei Kikuchi has been solid of late in the middle of the group. Last year’s marquee deadline pickup, Jose Berrios, has struggled through his first full season in Toronto despite his status as one of the AL’s most consistent performers in recent seasons. Stripling has pitched well in a swingman role and gives the Jays a better “sixth starter” option than most clubs currently have. Meanwhile, former top prospect Nate Pearson has embarked on a rehab assignment after a lengthy bout with mononucleosis.
Ryu is in the third season of a four-year, $80MM contract. His debut campaign in Toronto was nothing short of outstanding, as he started 12 games and pitched to a 2.69 ERA during the shortened 2020 season — good for a third-place finish in American League Cy Young voting. He was durable but less productive in 2021, taking the ball 31 times and notching a 4.37 ERA with a diminished strikeout rate over the life of 169 frames.
MRIs should have been done after every start to see how far the ligaments have been stretched. It would save a lot of money and wasted contract years if we actually diagnosed the potential injuries before they actually happen.
4-6% increase in length of ligaments is the range you do not want to exceed or else it is going to snap. I think getting these measurements after every start and before every start would make more sense for preventative injuries.
The tech isn’t there yet but preferably, inning to inning so that way we have a better insight into how many pitches can be thrown.. It should be more about the measurement of the UCL than the number of pitches thrown.
That sounds good in theory, but I’m not sure all that imaging would be good for a body.
Because radiation is not used, there is no risk of exposure to radiation during an MRI procedure. However, due to the use of the strong magnet, MRI cannot be performed on patients with: Implanted pacemakers. Intracranial aneurysm clips.
https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-tests/m/mri/risk-factors.html
What other risks are you suggesting?
That was all. I just wasn’t sure if any radiation was used.
Great idea Ol York. I mean why not? The tech is there.
And so is the MLBPA to say no!
@Sheep8
It would benefit the pitchers as it would keep them healthier and more chance of increasing their value without spending years on the injury list.
By the time you get them into an MRI wouldn’t everything have cooled down and the length reverted back to normal ?
Portable ultrasound in the dugout might be better. You don’t need MRI resolution for a length measurement. Bauer and his trainer were experimenting with this on his VLOG a couple of weeks ago. Theory being scan them between innings, get the length, and pull them when it reaches a certain % of stretch.
@foppert
I would think that if the plan was to check after they pitched, that there would be something on site already to review or at least a nearby hospital to perform it. Again, not saying this is cheap by any means, however, considering the prospect of having a pitcher on a long contract and end up being injured for at least 1.5 to 2 years of that contract is of no value to the fans and the owner and the player doesn’t increase their value either. That is a lot of hard and soft costs that could be saved so I think it would be beneficial to have something nearby to check. The important part would be for the team to check it after the start has finished and then a few days after to determine if the % of stretch has gone down. If it is still sitting around the 4-6% range then they can consider time on the IL to resolve it.
Again, I’m not expert but I think down the road, this should be considered as something beneficial to MLB and the players.
It appears that the age of “rub some dirt on it” is well behind us.
Unfortunately, it sounds like Ryu’s UCL could be shot. Big loss for Toronto but with the success of Manohah this season, they should be able to withstand it. I’m guessing Toronto will be in the market for a SP come the trade deadline as it’s hard to get by with just 5 starting pitchers. I wonder if Boston would make a deal with them for Michael Wacha or Rich Hill? Not sure Boston has what it takes to make the playoffs this season.
Its not a big loss bro. We have depth, payroll and trade flexibility. Injuries are part of baseball.
Losing any player to injury is a loss, bro, especially a $20+M starting pitcher the team is expecting to be one of their best. At some point depth and payroll reach their limit.
Entering this season, they really were only expecting him to be their fourth best pitcher, and hes probably not even really one of their top five options at this time.
Bingo.. Hes Mark Buehrle 2.0.
But his winning percentage this year is 1.000!!!
I haven’t paid much attention to Ryu, but he has a track record of success. Maybe age and injury have caught up with him.
Not in their top five? Got it. So you have Ross Stripling as a better pitcher than Ryu, do ya? And he isn’t as good as Kikuchi? or Berrios? I understand the Gausman bit, and Manoah is a freak (though I did not think he would be *this* good this year), but beyond that…he was no lower than their third best pitcher at the start of the year, and is absolutely better than at least a few of the other guys you apparently have ahead of him. He was a huge signing last year, and a lot is expected from him. Injuries happen. But please, with these claims…
1- Ryu was not signed last year.
2- Pre season Ryu was expected to be their #4 with hopes of better. They put him in the 3 spot to break up the lefties.
Number 4 behind Gausman, Manoah, and Berrios is hardly an insult, they all pitched at an extremely high level last year.
Yikes. Season not going the way the Blue Jays wanted it, but solidly in position for a wild card nonetheless. Lots of disappointing teams so far (Toronto, Seattle, Miami, Atlanta, Tampa, maybe SF a bit, although I thought last year was more of a fluke and testament to how friggin’ amazing Buster Posey was) and not so many unexpectedly good ones. More so some expected terrible teams turning out to be mediocre (Texas, Arizona, Pittsburgh). Individual leaders are all the usual suspects, which … well, your mileage may vary. Lots and lots of injuries everywhere.
Not a very compelling season so far, gotta say.
I don’t think I’d call a 96-win pace disappointing for the Blue Jays. They’re only in second place because New York has been hot out of the gate. The Yankees will cool down eventually, and we’ll have a 3-team race (including the Rays) in the AL East.
Dont underestimate the dark side, uhh i mean the Yankees xD. Their team is deep and have solid pitching.
I thought Toronto was the best team in baseball other than the Dodgers, top to bottom. So for me they’ve been a disappointment.
@seamaholic 2
Toronto has been a disappointment for most of the history of the franchise. Only time they weren’t was when ownership spent on top players in their peak age to win a few championships.
U’re an idiot!! The only teams to win more WS in the 45 seasons since the Jays entered MLB are the Yanks, Red Sox, Giants and the Dodgers……so according to your obviously tainted analysis almost every team in MLB since ’77 is a disappointment?? Moronic
RGR – You forgot to mention the Cardinals in your nasty rant.
Outside of 92/93, they haven’t really been competitive. I would say the MLB has far too many non -competitive teams in the league and they really should reduce the number of teams to put a better quality of game on the field.
Not to have to defend the Blue Jays but they have finished with a winning record 24 times (or more than 50% of the time) so its not that they aren’t necessarily competitive but it’s hard to win 88 games in a season and still finish 26 games out of first place
“U’re”?
The 26 games back is not really the fault of the Jays but the structure of the MLB playoffs at the time. Now, we’re letting pretty much every team into the playoffs. And just because they have been above .500 for 24 seasons doesn’t mean it was competitive. Being around .500 means you’re putting a mediocre team on the field and just looking for butts in the seats.
Contrast that with the team they came into the league with–the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners have finished with a winning record only 14 times in the same span, no championships and with far more “star power” than the Jays have had all while playing in a historically weaker division. Unfortunately most teams are “mediocre” at some point or another, better than just being plain bad
@old York outside of 92/93 they haven’t been competitive? They went to the ALCS twice in a row in 2015 and 16. Yes they always underachieve. But fans of them know that. People who actually watch them kinda expect that tbh. I saw so many people expecting them to be the “best team in baseball’ this year. People who do not watch them. I did not think that, but they’ve won 8 in a row and are getting hot right now.
Subtle Ultravox reference?
They are 30-20 without hitting their stride offensively. When that happens and it will , expect a very dangerous fun team.
OldYork
The old in you nick must refer to something other then your age. You obviously are too young to remember the Jays 83-92 if you think they have not been competitive.
@Rsox
Fair enough.
Not sure Texas was expected to be terrible. They spent over half a billion dollars during the off-season.
That’s true, but their pitching has been WAY better than expected, and their off-season investment, Jon Gray, has not been part of that. Come to think of it, Marcus Semien has been one of the worst hitters in baseball so far, and Corey Seager’s been just OK. They’re gonna fall off the cliff at some point, but so far so good.
That money was probably spent a year or two to early. Jon Gray has pitched well but Seager/Semien have done nothing and there are still several holes on the roster. Given the sheer amount of players Oakland lost over the offseason i don’t think anyone necessarily thought Texas would be “terrible” but they are still a bit off from contention
Don’t forget the Phillies. Off to a mostly disappointing start again this year. Joe Girardi is hanging on by a thread.
Time to call the Reds and see what Luis Castillo would cost.
I wonder what a deal would look like if they took on one of Moustakas or Votto along with Castillo. Biggio could go the other way so they would replace his lefty bat, and you’d think taking on one of those contracts would drive down the acquisition costs.
Votto has said he will retire a Red so umless there is some kind of extension or something offered i don’t see him even waiving his no trade clause to go home
Same thing happened last year with Kenta Maeda. Insisted on making his next start despite forearm tightness and TJ after that start
Beasly is looking good at AAA but is he a AAA, AAAA or major league player?
Answer: AAAA.
Terrible depth.
Pretty sure Ryu has gained 75+ pounds since signing with TOR. Dude is a unit these days. Probably doesn’t help his mechanics.
Dodgers dodged a few bullets not resigning Ryu, Maeda, and Scherzer
It looks like Ryu and his $80M contract are about to become “dust in the wind”.
Where is the Adrian Hernandez call up? This guy has been absolutely dominant for years now. Stop wasting time and bring him up. We’re trying to win a championship here Ross
Ross isn’t the shiniest penny in the room. Hernandez deserves a MLB look.
This guy is always hurt.
Ryu’s contract was called by many at the time to be an albatross in the last years.
Nice to see Ryu out of the rotation. Too many hanging balls and low FB velocity. I say he’s done.
Jimmer
20m x2 is hardly an albatross- keep trying. Where is your we need an Ace and a #3 starter post, pulled your horns in on that one as usual . Even with Ryu hurt , we need a decent #3-4 type in trade , and a reliever ( Although we have 3 other guys in AAA who deserve a shot at the pen this year so I would not give up much for relief help.