Blue Jays latest injury updates on pitchers Hyun Jin Ryu and Chad Green

The Toronto Blue Jays could be getting pitching reinforcements soon in Hyun Jin Ryu and Chad Green in the coming months as Jays’ GM Ross Atkins provided an update on their injury rehab from Tommy John surgery.

Atkins indicated that both Ryu and Green are currently throwing bullpen sessions in Dunedin, and could potentially be facing live hitters and be in real games by next month. That is definitely encouraging news for the Jays as they look to strengthen their pitching staff as the 2023 season goes on.

Ryu was a key free agent signing by the Jays back in 2019 when he agreed to a four-year, $80 million contract. The signing paid immediate dividends as Ryu led the Jays to their first postseason berth in four years during the 2020 COVID-shortened MLB season, in addition to being an AL Cy Young finalist that very same year. However, he had quite the regression the following year in 2021, along with enduring a season-ending Tommy John surgery in 2022 that has put him out of action up until now. In Ryu’s tenure with the Jays, he has posted a respectable 21-12 record, with a 4.07 ERA, 108 ERA+, 1.217 WHIP, with 231 strikeouts over 263 innings pitched.

Green was a 2022-23 offseason signing by the Jays, who was inked to a two-year, $8.5 million deal, despite knowing that he would probably be out for most, if not all, of the 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery as well. The Jays were willing to take the chance as he has posted strong numbers in the past over his entire career with a 3.17 ERA, ERA+ of 137, 1.022 WHIP, with 494 strikeouts in just 383.2 innings pitched, all with the New York Yankees. The Jays were optimistic that he would be available to help the ballclub hopefully by the end of the summer. The fact that he is now throwing bullpen sessions in late May bodes well that a potential return by July/August may not be out of the question anymore.

The Jays look to both Ryu and Green as key players down the stretch run, especially with Ryu, as he will definitely need to prove his worth as free agency approaches for him at the end of the season.