Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu will undergo left shoulder surgery tomorrow. The arthroscopic surgery will be performed by team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles.
The team did not offer further details on the specific nature of the surgery because it won’t be known until tomorrow. That includes both the type of procedure and the timetable for recovery.
Still, manager Don Mattingly said Wednesday that he doesn’t anticipate Ryu will be back before the season ends. Here’s more from the manager:
Ryu hasn’t pitched in a regular-season game and hadn’t thrown off a mound since May 1. The 28-year-old left-hander is 28-15 in two seasons with the Dodgers. He has in the third season of a 6-year, $36 million contract.
Ryu has also made three postseason starts for the Dodgers, going 1-0 with two no-decisions.
Because of the strong performances by Mike Bolsinger and Carlos Frias since joining the rotation, the Dodgers can be patient on the trade market. They might have little choice, as teams rarely trade their best pitchers prior to the one-quarter mark of the season.
Even if Friedman is patient, and Bolsinger and Frias continue to produce, the Dodgers’ current rotation leaves something to be desired. There is little postseason experience beyond Clayton Kershaw (eight career playoff starts) and Zack Greinke (seven). Brett Anderson took the ball in a first-round game for the Oakland A’s in 2012, but hasn’t started in October since. For a team with World Series aspirations, it’s all but given that the Dodgers will try to add experience via trade in the coming months. Infielder Hector Olivera’s development in the minor leagues could hasten the process.
David Price (Tigers), Johnny Cueto (Reds), Jordan Zimmermann (Nationals), Jeff Samardzija (White Sox), Scott Kazmir (A’s), Kyle Lohse (Brewers) and Aaron Harang (Phillies) headline the list of starting pitchers who will become free agents at the end of this season. If president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman prefers to rent a pitcher until season’s end, one of these veterans could be among the top targets — and offer something of an audition as the Dodgers prepare to attack the market at season’s end.
Alternatively, the Dodgers might target a veteran, such as the Brewers’ Matt Garza or the Phillies’ Cole Hamels, who is under contract beyond this season to a team that isn’t expected to contend in 2015. Since it’s so early in the process — Ryu hasn’t even had surgery yet — nothing is imminent.
Friedman might also prefer to wait to see what Brandon Beachy can offer once he returns from a minor-league rehab assignment before pursuing a trade in earnest. Beachy’s rehab assignment hasn’t begun yet, either. Mattingly said Wednesday that the right-hander will throw batting practice to live hitters Friday.
All we know today is that Ryu’s next appearance in a uniform is more likely to come at a community service function or a ramen commercial than a baseball game.