Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Hyun-jin Ryu has scheduled his third rehab start.

Hyun-jin Ryu will start for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons against the Toledo Birds at Salmon Field in Buffalo, New York, on June 16. Buffalo announced the news of Ryu’s appearance on its official website on Friday.

“He has made two rehabilitation appearances in the Rookie League and Single-A and will pitch in Buffalo. Hyun-jin Ryu previously pitched at Salmon Field in 2020 when Toronto used the ballpark as its home ballpark due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Ryu has been rehabbing since undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair ligaments in his elbow last June and made three bullpen appearances last month. He pitched three innings of four-hit ball in the Rookie League on May 5, striking out five and allowing one run, and then pitched four innings of three-hit ball with one strikeout in a Single-A game on May 10.

Ryu threw 47 pitches in the Rookie League and 37 pitches in Single-A. Toronto general manager Ross Atkins said, “He’ll be called up when he can throw 80 to 100 pitches,” so it’s likely that Ryu will focus on getting more pitches in Triple-A and working longer innings.

In his previous two outings, he had topped out at around 142 kilometers per hour. His average velocity was around 140 mph. The higher the velocity, the better, but there’s no need to get carried away. “Ryu doesn’t need premium velocity to regain success, and as long as he shows strong command and control in his subsequent rehab outings, he should be comfortable in the starting rotation,” CBS Sports wrote on Dec. 12.온라인바카

Toronto opens a three-game homestand against San Diego from April 19-21 before embarking on a six-game West Coast road trip beginning April 22. From April 22-24, they’ll host Seattle, and from April 25-27, they’ll play three games against Ryu’s former team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. They’ll have a day off on the 28th, then return home for a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on the 29th.

Assuming two rehab starts, the earliest Ryu could return would be later this month against the Dodgers. However, it’s possible that he could make a start against the Angels on July 29-31 if he’s able to do so without too much trouble. Ryu could return in July, which is what he has promised.

Meanwhile, the Toronto club released a close-up photo of the slimmed-down Ryu on social media on Friday. Ryu, who is said to have recently lost about 13 kilograms, announced his successful rehabilitation with his lighter body. The team welcomed Ryu back to Rogers Centre by writing “Hello friend” in Korean.