Hyun-Jin Ryu and Zack Greinke swap places in Dodgers rotation

Trading places in the rotation with Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu will make his next start Saturday instead of Sunday.

By making the move, the Dodgers will avoid starting the left-handed Ryu and Clayton Kershaw on consecutive days.

“Our main reason was splitting the lefties,” Manager Don Mattingly said.

This will be particularly important next week, when the Dodgers play a three-game series against the second-place San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.

The way they are lined up now, Ryu would start the series opener Sept. 12, followed by Greinke and Kershaw, in that order.

Mattingly said this was always the plan.

“In our minds, it was always this way,” he said.

Mattingly said there was nothing physically wrong with Greinke, who recently complained of discomfort in his elbow.