‘Korean Monster’ Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto Blue Jays) prepares to return to the mound in earnest.
Toronto general manager Ross Atkins said in an interview with local media including Sportsnet on the 16th (Korean time), “Ryu Hyun-jin and Chad Green will throw the ball against batters next month in real life.”
Ryu Hyun-jin underwent left elbow ligament surgery (Tommy John surgery) in June of last year, and is currently undergoing rehabilitation in Dunedin, Florida, USA where Toronto’s spring camp facility is located. The green that Atkins mentioned is Ryu Hyun-jin’s rehabilitation partner. Green received Tommy John surgery a month before Ryu Hyun-jin.스포츠토토
Director Atkins visited Dunedin last week to see the rehabilitation process of the two in person. Currently, Ryu Hyun-jin is conducting bullpen pitching after passing through the catch ball stage. If no major abnormalities are found in the body during the bullpen pitching stage, he plans to digest live pitching, in which he throws the ball with the batter standing up. Following this, around June, he is expected to proceed with actual pitching.
Initially, Ryu Hyun-jin predicted his return to mid-July this year. MLB.com, the official homepage of Major League Baseball, explained, “If Ryu Hyun-jin and Green go to the actual game next month and digest the rehabilitation mound, Toronto will be able to judge their return point more clearly than now.”
Hyun-jin Ryu signed a 4-year, 80 million dollar (approximately 107 billion won) contract with Toronto ahead of the 2020 season. In 2020, which was a shortened season in the aftermath of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19), he recorded 5 wins and 2 losses and an earned run average (ERA) of 2.69. In 2021 he went 14-10 with a 4.37 ERA. In 2022, he pitched in 6 games, won 2, and marked an ERA of 5.67 before getting on the operating table. This year is the final year of his 4 year contract.
Toronto’s starting rotation this season includes Kevin Gaussman, Alec Manoa, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt and Yusei Kikuchi. Kikuchi and Bassett are the team’s most victories with five wins each. Like Ryu Hyun-jin, Berios and Gaussman, who joined Toronto through a free agent (FA) contract, have only 3 wins and 2 wins, respectively.