Ryan pitching every other day in Minors

TORONTO -- The plan of return for B.J. Ryan became a little clearer on Tuesday. The Blue Jays' recovering closer has started to pitch in Minor League games every other day and is on pace to potentially rejoin Toronto's bullpen some time during the team's next homestand.

Toronto manager John Gibbons said that Ryan, who is making his way back from the Tommy John ligament replacement surgery that was performed on his left elbow last May, is scheduled to make one more appearance with Class A Dunedin before joining Triple-A Syracuse on Friday.

The 32-year-old Ryan pitched in a Minor League game with Dunedin on Monday, needing just 11 pitches to work through one inning. After his next outing on Wednesday, Ryan is scheduled to make three or four appearances with Syracuse, putting him in line to possibly return to Toronto during the club's April 16-21 homestand.

Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi preferred not to set a target date for the closer's return.

"We'll just see how he's pitching, how he's getting people out and how he feels," Ricciardi said on Tuesday. "I think it's a combination of all that."

"Right now, he just needs to pitch," he added later. "He's still not a year removed [from the surgery]. We're getting closer to that [return] date, but he'll be here sooner than later."

When asked if Ryan would be with the team before the end of April, Gibbons was confident.

"Oh yeah, he'll definitely be here [before the end of April]," Gibbons said. "Unless he has a setback, which is all behind him now, so he'll definitely be here."

It was originally believed that Ryan might be able to join the Jays in Texas for Toronto's upcoming weekend series, which begins on Friday. The team decided it'd be more beneficial to give Ryan a few more Minor League outings, especially against more advanced hitters.

"We're going to push him up to Syracuse," Gibbons said, "to make a few more appearances there and test him out against a little better competition."

It typically takes a pitcher roughly one year to fully recover from Tommy John surgery, such as the one performed on Ryan, who's operation was performed by Dr. Timothy Kremchek on May 10. Considering Ryan will still be less than one year removed from his procedure if he returns this month, Gibbons said the closer won't pitch on consecutive days until at least May.

Gibbons did say that Ryan will be inserted directly into the closer's role upon his return. That job is temporarily being filled by Jeremy Accardo, who is perfect in his only three save opportunities this season, entering Tuesday.

In 2006, Ryan posted a 1.37 ERA and recorded 38 saves for the Blue Jays, who inked him to a five-year deal worth $47 million prior to that campaign.