TORONTO -- Hyun Jin Ryu's struggles from 2021 have carried over into the early days of ‘22, and some troubling postgame news following the Blue Jays' 7-5 loss to Oakland on Saturday could explain part of that issue.

Ryu was dealing with some left forearm soreness following the game, manager Charlie Montoyo said. This wasn’t why he was removed after allowing five earned runs over four innings of work, but he brought it to the trainers’ attention following the game. And on Sunday, Ryu was placed on the 10-day injured list.

Complete with the injury, it does continue the performance trend the club has seen from the left-hander since late ‘21, though, when one of baseball’s best southpaws became hittable.

Montoyo has preached patience with Ryu, and it’s still very early in a long, grueling season, but there’s obviously cause for concern.

“I’m not here to defend Ryu,” Montoyo said. “He struggled with his command and threw too many pitches over the middle of the plate. They made him pay.”

Last summer, Ryu looked like himself for two full months, carrying a 2.62 ERA into June. That’s when everything changed, and Ryu posted a 5.29 ERA over his final 21 starts of the year. Ryu walks a fine line, as throwing in the 89-90 mph range there’s little margin for error, but that’s where his brilliance has lived for years. His pinpoint control and ability to out-think hitters has kept him at the top of his game in the past, but that control has betrayed him a bit recently.

“I know he’s been working hard on it with [pitching coach] Pete [Walker],” Montoyo said. “It’s just that the command hasn’t been there. He’s a guy that is really good when he commands all of his pitches. He just hasn’t been able to.”

When this happens, so does loud contact.

Ryu allowed five exit velocities north of 100 mph, including a mammoth home run to Sean Murphy that left the bat at 114 mph and flew 452 feet into the left-center-field seats. Whether it’s been through the air or on the ground, Ryu has typically forced softer contact by keeping hitters just a little off-balance, but without having that edge the A’s were consistently driving the ball.

Ryu has earned plenty of leash with his methods, though, because of his track record. He’s finished in the top three in Cy Young voting in the AL and NL and been one of the best pitchers in the sport at points, which buys him some well-deserved time to figure things out. This injury will determine how quickly that continues to be the case, but Montoyo made it clear that something needs to change.

“I’m not sitting here and telling you about track records any more,” Montoyo said. “He has struggled in his last outings. We’re just hoping that he makes an adjustment and finds his command, because that’s what it is. His command.”

Ryu was pitching on an extra day of rest Saturday after Ross Stripling was mixed in very effectively as a sixth starter in Friday's series-opening win. That’s typically helped Ryu in the past and been prioritized, both by him and the Blue Jays, but it didn’t seem to have the same results this time around.

Ryu’s fastball averaged 88.7 mph, down 1.3 mph from his ‘21 average. His velocities were down across the board, which is easier to manage if you’re Jordan Romano for an outing or two, but far more difficult when you’re already one of the lowest-velocity pitchers in Major League Baseball.

Regardless of whether this is something serious or an issue that’s forgotten about by the time he is set to return from the IL, one thing is clear: Toronto needs more from Ryu, with Montoyo saying just that, as he remains one of the most important players on the entire roster.

Since mid-2021, it’s been a challenge, but the possibility of getting Ryu back to his career norms would still turn the rotation into one of the best in baseball, which is why the Blue Jays have been patient with his results.

That patience continues to be tested.