Dodgers’ Hyun-Jin Ryu set to begin rehab assignment Sunday
Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu talks with Cardinals reliever Seung Hwan Oh before the start of a game on May 13.
Hyun-Jin Ryu, who has not pitched in a major league game since 2014, will take a significant step toward his return when he starts a rehabilitation assignment Sunday with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. Ryu is expected to throw two innings for the Quakes.
Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts expected Ryu to make four or five starts before his stamina was sufficient to rejoin the big league club. He needed to build up the ability to throw 100 pitches in a game.
Ryu, a 29-year-old left-hander, posted a 3.17 earned-run average during his two seasons with the Dodgers. But he tore his labrum in 2015 and has been on the long road back since. The team initially penciled him into the rotation for the start of the season this year, but Ryu experienced several false starts in spring training.
Not far behind him on the road back is Brandon McCarthy, who underwent Tommy John surgery last April. McCarthy threw a simulated inning Saturday, facing teammate Charlie Culberson.
“Charlie said the ball was coming out good, fastball, changeup, curve,” Roberts said before Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals. “That’s another step in the right direction.”
McCarthy will need one more simulated outing before he also starts a rehab assignment, Roberts said. McCarthy will also require four or five starts to build up his pitch count.
No progress for Garcia
Right-handed reliever Yimi Garcia injured his right biceps while pitching in a game in Colorado on April 22. He has yet to return to activity, as he remains marooned at the team’s complex in Camelback Ranch in Arizona.
“There hasn’t been much improvement, to be quite honest,” Roberts said. “We’re kind of beside ourselves on the lack of progress. So he’s laying low, and not really doing any baseball activity.”
Roberts indicated he was not aware whether Garcia had undergone an MRI exam to assess any ligament damage.
The Dodgers hoped Garcia, 25, could play a significant role in the bullpen this season.
andy.mccullough@latimes.com
Twitter: @McCulloughTimes
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