In a major development in his recovery from last year's elbow surgery, Ryu Hyun-jin of the Toronto Blue Jays will pitch in a minor league game next week.

The Blue Jays announced Friday (Toronto time) that Ryu is scheduled to pitch in his first minor league game Tuesday in Florida, either against the Florida Complex League Blue Jays in Rookie ball or the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays.

It will be the South Korean left-hander's first game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair his damaged left elbow in June 2022. The 36-year-old has been targeting a late July return, following the All-Star break. Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Ryu's fastball is up around 88 mph, close to where it needs to be at this point in his rehab.

The Blue Jays couldn't have Ryu back fast enough. Their Opening Day starter, Alek Manoah, was sent to the minors in June after a dismal start to the 2023 season, leaving the team with four starters. The Blue Jays have had to rely on reliever Trevor Richards as the opener on a few occasions.

Ryu is in the final year of his four-year, US$80 million contract with the Blue Jays.

In the 2020 season, reduced to 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ryu went 5-2 with a 2.69 ERA in 12 starts and finished third in the American League (AL) Cy Young Award voting. His ERA ballooned to 4.37 in 2021, when he was 14-10 in 31 starts and pitched to a 5.50 ERA in the second half.

Then last year, Ryu made only six starts before shutting things down to undergo elbow surgery. He finished with a 2-0 record and a 5.67 ERA.

Source: Yonhap News Agency