Another blow to the Dodgers’ starting rotation just arrived on Wednesday night when the team announced that their number 3 starter, Hyun-Jin Ryu, will opt for possible season-ending shoulder surgery. The star southpaw has battled with shoulder injuries for the most part of 2014 and 15, as he hasn’t been the same since his 14-win, 190+ inning rookie campaign in 2013. The arthroscopic procedure is to be performed on Thursday, and will likely sideline Ryu for the remainder of the 2015 season; hurting the depth of the Dodgers’ rotation even more.
Already with the loss of newly signed Brandon McCarthy, the Dodgers only have 2 solidified starters going right now. Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke will continue to be one of the best one-two punches in the game, but behind them is still a big question mark for the club. Although they did sign Brett Anderson for a 1-year $10 million mark in the offseason to be another solidified starter, he hasn’t exactly lived up to the money. Behind him, Don Mattingly has been testing out multiple guys in the back end of the rotation, such as, Carlos Frias and long-time minor leaguer, Mike Boslinger. It’s a relief that the buulpen is doing much better in 2015, as without it, the Ryu loss would be a lot more painful.
Hyun-Jin Ryu is not only a great #3, but is another lefty arm; finding a second quality lefty in not super common. With Ryu healthy, the Dodgers have arguably the best 1-2-3 punch in the game. Since LA signed the Korean star during the 2012 offseason, disappointing has not been in the vocabulary. Ryu brings 4 good pitches to the table that allows him to throw for power with good movement as well. He has not been wild (only 7 WP combined both seasons), has had 7.7 K/9, and has kept the ball on the ground (only 22 homers allowed in 344 innings pitched). To put it in a short term, Hyun-Jin Ryu has been worth more than the $6 million/year he is currently receiving. The only question is: how much of the 6 years on his contract can he stay healthy for, while helping lead the Dodgers to more playoff success. The lack of his presence for the rest of the season may not hurt now, but in the long run it could very well keep the Dodgers out of the World Series, again.
