The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu on the 15-day disabled list on Friday with a Grade 1-2 strain of the gluteus medius and piriformis muscles in his right hip. The move is retroactive to Thursday.
Ryu suffered the injury while pitching during Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Braves. He felt some tightness in the muscles a couple of pitches before the injury happened. After a pitch to B.J. Upton the injury happened. Ryu said that the muscle was injured while planting and balancing his weight after throwing the pitch. He complained about right hip and buttock pain after leaving Wednesday’s game, and had an MRI that showed strained muscles, according to the Associated Press.
"I was pushing off and then planting my foot and trying to catch my balance," Ryu told the Los Angeles Times through an interpreter. "That’s when I felt it."
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly is not worried about the injury. He said that he doesn’t expect this injury to linger and that Ryu will be back.
Ryu has been having a good year. He is 13-6 with a 3.28 ERA, according to ESPN. Dodgers starters have the best ERA in the National League. Ryu will be replaced by Kevin Correia, who is 5-13 with a 4.35 ERA. Ryu joins Hanley Ramirez, Josh Beckett, Paul Maholm, Chris Perez, and Paco Rodriguez on the list of Dodgers players on the DL.
The Dodgers also recalled right-handed pitcher Pedro Baez from Triple-A Albuquerque on Friday. Baez has a 3.86 ERA with 38 strikeouts and 13 walks in 40 games this season.