Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed Hyun-Jin Ryu will start Thursday in the series opener against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. That’s the first day Ryu is eligible to be reinstated from the 10-day disabled list.
If not Ryu, the Dodgers lone other option in some sense was to call on a spot starter. Clayton Kershaw, slated to pitch Friday, technically could have been tapped. But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts previously said the left-handed ace would receive an extra day of rest after throwing 118 pitches last Saturday.
Over the weekend Roberts hinted at Ryu’s forthcoming return, saying the 30-year-old would not need to be sent out on a rehab assignment.