Dodgers nearing decision on Hyun-Jin Ryu's return to rotation

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers could be a day away from deciding if Hyun-Jin Ryu will follow Brandon McCarthy's lead and rejoin the major league rotation.

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Sunday that a decision is forthcoming on the status of Ryu, who has been out since last year after undergoing shoulder surgery.

Ryu, who has endured multiple minor setbacks on his road to recovery, most recently pitched a rehab start Friday for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. He threw 84 pitches.

"I think any time you go through a rehab process, that last step, getting back to a major league level, you can't simulate in any way," Friedman said. "He attacked the rehab process in a way that showed how much he wanted to get back, and I think each start has gotten progressively better, which is what you expect to see."

McCarthy made his 2016 Dodgers debut Sunday after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. He made his most recent rehab start last week and threw 72 pitches.

The Dodgers were originally hopeful that Ryu could be back by May, but he went through a groin strain during spring training and then felt some shoulder discomfort after starting his minor league rehab assignment.

Rookie Julio Urias is expected to start for the Dodgers on Monday. It could be the left-hander's last major league start before he returns to the minor leagues. Ryu could end up taking Urias' spot on the active roster.

"With the time off, it just takes a little bit of time assessing if we think he needs one more rehab start or whether or not this is the last step of the journey," Friedman said of Ryu.