Blue Jays’ Hyun Jin Ryu to make season debut Tuesday at Rogers Centre

Toronto Blue Jays veteran starter Hyun Jin Ryu will make his season debut on Tuesday, August 1, against the Baltimore Orioles, manager John Schneider confirmed.

Ryu, 36, had Tommy John Surgery last June and has been rehabbing over the last several months and ramping up pitching activity, including a minor-league rehab stint. He most recently made two starts with the triple-A Buffalo Bisons, striking out 10 batters across 11 innings and issuing one walk.

Schneider said the Blue Jays will use a six-man rotation once Ryu is activated next week as the club embarks on a 17-game stint with no breaks until August 14.

It will see Toronto utilize Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt, Yusei Kikuchi, Alek Manoah and Ryu during that span. That doesn’t factor in what the front office might do at or ahead of the trade deadline in terms of acquiring reinforcements.

Toronto must create room on the 40-man roster to activate Ryu from the injured list.

Ryu, who will be a free agent this winter, appeared in six games last season before opting for surgery, pitching to a 5.67 ERA with 16 strikeouts across 27 innings.

His best performance with the Blue Jays came in 2020, his first in Toronto, when he had a 2.69 ERA across 12 starts with 72 strikeouts in 67 innings. He finished third in American League Cy Young voting. That season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ryu joined the Blue Jays as a free agent in December 2019, signing a four-year, $80-million deal.

Chad Green making progress

Schneider announced that right-handed reliever Chad Green will make his third rehab appearance on Saturday with the Dunedin Blue Jays in the Florida State League.

Green, 32, is also recovering from Tommy John Surgery that he underwent on June 3, 2022.

Should the veteran reliever get through his next appearance without any setbacks, he will report to triple-A Buffalo in the next step of his rehab process and could be activated in mid-August.

Chad Green set to pitch for #BlueJays’ Florida State League affiliate tomorrow. After that triple-A could be next as Green progresses closer to majors from Tommy John

— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) July 28, 2023

Like Ryu, the Blue Jays will need to make room on the 40-man roster to activate Green from the injured list.

Green, a long-time member of the New York Yankees, signed a two-year, $8.5-million contract with the Blue Jays in the offseason that carries different player and club options.

Since transitioning to the bullpen full-time in 2020, Green was one of the Yankees’ most valuable relievers, pitching to a combined 3.18 ERA across 103 games and 147 strikeouts in 124 1/3 innings.