Hyun Jin Ryu will start for the Blue Jays on Tuesday against the Orioles

Hyun Jin Ryu is ready to join the Toronto Blue Jays starting rotation.

Manager John Schneider told media on Friday that Ryu will start against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday and that the team will carry on with a six-man rotation for the time being. The order of Toronto’s rotation will be Kevin Gausman, Alek Manoah, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt, Ryu, and Yusei Kikuchi.

The big lefty made just six appearances for the Blue Jays last year before undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery in June. Given he was 35 years old at the time of the surgery, the prevailing sentiment was that Ryu had thrown his last pitch for the Blue Jays, and perhaps at the big league level all told.

Here we are now, just over one year later, and Ryu is set to return to the Blue Jays following a successful run of starts in the minor leagues during his rehab assignment. Over the course of four outings between the Florida Complex League, Low-A Dunedin, and Triple-A Buffalo, Ryu tossed 18 innings and allowed only four earned runs while striking out 16 batters and walking one.

Ryu’s last rehab start came on July 21 for the Bisons and he would have been in line to open Toronto’s weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels, but the Blue Jays ultimately decided to delay his return until after the trade deadline, which comes on Tuesday at 6:00 PM ET, one hour before the team’s game with Baltimore. This will allow the team to have a more clear picture of who needs to be removed from the 40-man roster in order to make space for Ryu.

The 36-year-old is in the final season of a four-year, $80 million contract signed back in December of 2020. Not only will getting Ryu back help the Blue Jays down the stretch, but pitching well would help him earn another contract this winter in free agency.