Blue Jays' Hyun Jin Ryu expected to be ready for next start after taking liner to knee

Hyun Jin Ryu and the Toronto Blue Jays are blowing a sigh of relief.

The Blue Jays' starting pitcher left Monday's game against the Cleveland Guardians in the bottom of the fifth inning after being hit by a comebacker off the bat of Oscar Gonzalez.

X-rays performed on Ryu's right knee have come back negative, and the team is optimistic the lefty will be ready to take the mound for his next start.

The pitch appeared to ricochet off the inside of Ryu's right knee, but the ace was able to pick the ball up and get it to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base to record the third out of the inning before crumbling to the ground in serious pain.

The 36-year-old spent a couple minutes on the grass as trainers and teammates checked up on him. The Korean hurler fortunately was able to walk off on his own power, but would not return to the game, replaced by Jay Jackson.

Ryu was enjoying a solid outing through four innings, allowing no hits while striking out two batters and walking only one.

Jays fans held their breath when a hard-hit ball struck Ryu's glove in the first inning, but the pitcher appeared to be uninjured as he threw the runner out at first.

This was only Ryu's second start since making a long-awaited return following Tommy John surgery in June 2022. He struggled in his first outing on Aug. 1 against the Baltimore Orioles, allowing four runs on nine hits through five innings.

The Blue Jays faithful were sad to see the fan favourite visibly in pain, especially after Ryu spent over a year working hard to return to the mound.

Toronto announced via the Sportsnet broadcast that Ryu was ruled out of Monday's contest with a right knee contusion.