Hyun Jin Ryu scheduled to start Sunday against Cubs, Marcus Stroman won’t face former team because of injury

The Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs have both announced their expected starting pitchers for this weekend’s series.

Going for the Blue Jays will be José Berríos, Chris Bassitt, and Hyun Jin Ryu, while the Cubs will send Javier Assad, Justin Steele, and Jameson Taillon to the mound.

The big news for the Blue Jays is that Ryu won’t need to miss any time after leaving his most recent start against the Cleveland Guardians with a knee injury.

Ryu was drilled in the knee by a line drive, chased down the ball and got the runner out at first base, and then collapsed to the ground in pain. The worry at the time was that Ryu twisted or pulled something when making the defensive play but he said afterward that the issue was from being hit by the ball.

The big lefty was making his second start since returning from Tommy John surgery. He struggled a little bit in his 2023 debut against the Baltimore Orioles but looked like vintage Ryu in Cleveland. Over his two starts with the Blue Jays this season, Ryu has allowed four earned runs on nine hits and two walks over nine innings of work with five strikeouts.

In other injury news, Marcus Stroman will be on the Injured List while the Cubs play against his former team in Toronto. Stroman was placed on the 15-day Injured List back on August 1 because of right hip inflammation.

Stroman is putting together a strong season for the Cubs. He owns a 3.85 ERA over 23 starts and was named an All-Star for the first time since 2019 when he was with the Blue Jays. The 32-year-old has an opt-out in his contract following this season and will likely test the open market as a free agent this winter.