Los Angeles Dodgers to activate Hyun-Jin Ryu from DL

In a bit of good news for the scuffling Los Angeles Dodgers, starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu is due to come off the disabled list and pitch Wednesday. He has been out since late-April with shoulder inflammation.

While their offense has looked fine, the Dodgers have struggled in the pitching department thus far on the season. Other than Zack Greinke, no one has been healthy enough or is throwing the ball with much success. Josh Beckett has already seen some time on the DL this season, as has staff ace Clayton Kershaw.

Kershaw himself was awful last time out. The reining Cy Young Award winner lasted just 1.2 innings, allowing seven runs. It was arguably the worst start of his career.

Nevertheless, with the return of Ryu, the Dodgers’ rotation is coming into form. Before he went down, Ryu was pitching pretty well. He was 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA. Last year, his rookie season, really showed what Ryu is capable of. He was unexpectedly fantastic, winning 14 games, finishing the season with a 3.00 ERA and 154 strikeouts, and accumulating 3.3 wins above replacement. If not for Ryu’s contribution, the Dodgers would not have led their division in runs allowed by such a comfortable margin.

At the moment, LA sits in third place in the NL West, five games behind the San Francisco Giants. Other than the Marlins, the Dodgers have the best, non-Colorado offense in the National League based on runs scored. Their pitching is what has left them -3 in run differential. Ryu’s return should help turn things around.