Hyun-Jin Ryu missed the entire 2015 season to a lefty shoulder injury that eventually required major surgery, but he began a throwing program in early October and hasn’t encountered a setback through two-plus months of rehab.
Ryu said this weekend at the Dodgers’ annual holiday party that he expects to be 100 percent recovered and prepared for a full workload by the beginning of the 2016 campaign. “My personal goal is to be in the rotation Opening Day until the season ends,” the South Korean left-hander told Ken Gurnick of MLB.com on Saturday.
Ryu will be asked to carry a lot of weight in 2016 with the Dodgers losing Zack Greinke to the Diamondbacks this offseason. Los Angeles pursued Johnny Cueto, but the team’s final bid finished either second or third to San Francisco. And the Dodgers had a three-year, $45 million deal in place with Hisashi Iwakuma in early December but pulled it off the table after Iwakuma’s physical. He went on to re-sign with the Mariners.
Andrew Friedman and Co. could still trade for an impact starter or two.
