Will Ryu Hyun-jin, who will leave the country early, return healthy next season?
Ryu Hyun-jin (35, Toronto Blue Jays), who is rehabilitating after elbow surgery, will board a plane to the U.S. earlier than usual. He will leave for the United States on the 29th.
After returning home with his family on the 22nd of last month, Ryu Hyun-jin rested and rehabilitated for about a month. Except for this year when he left in March due to the closure of his Major League Baseball (ML) workplace, he usually left for Okinawa in late January or early February and headed to the United States, but this time it was moved up about a month. Ryu Hyun-jin said through Acepec Corporation, a domestic management company, “I will greet you again with a better appearance as always.”
Ryu underwent a ligament surgery on his left elbow in June. It is the second elbow ligament surgery since 2004 when he was at Dongsan High School in Incheon. After entering the ML, he underwent a series of arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder joint in May 2015, and left elbow in 2016. Negative public opinion followed as he underwent another operation in his mid-30s. Ahead of the surgery in June, MLB dotcom pointed out, “There is a risk to starting pitchers in their mid-30s who have a history of surgery. 파워볼사이트
Ryu Hyun-jin signed a four-year contract with Toronto for a total of $80 million in December 2019. After the 2023 season, he will become a free agent (FA) again. In the field, Ryu Hyun-jin is expected to return after June next year. Ryu Hyun-jin’s departure earlier than usual seems to mean that he will speed up rehabilitation.
Of course, he is unlikely to play full-time next season. However, in order to continue his career in ML, he must show his value once again. This is the biggest reason why high-quality rehabilitation is needed at this time.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who made his ML debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013, recorded 75 wins and 45 losses and an ERA of 3.27 in 175 games. In September this year, he was the third Korean player to play in the ML in history to fill 10 years of service time. Prior to that, the only players who have filled 10 years of service time in ML are “Korean Express” Park Chan-ho (49, retired) and “Choo Choo Train” Choo Shin-soo (40, SSG Landers).