The “Blue Monster” Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto) is one step closer to returning to Major League Baseball (MLB).
The Toronto Blue Jays released a video on social media on Wednesday showing Ryu smiling and making a V with his right hand at Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay’s home ballpark, along with the Korean phrase “hello friend”. It was the start of Toronto’s four-game series against Tampa Bay.
“Ryu plans to throw a bullpen session in front of manager John Schneider on Thursday,” according to the Associated Press. It’s common for injured MLB pitchers to return to action after throwing bullpens, live pitches, and minor league rehab assignments. Toronto general manager John Atkins said on Saturday that “Ryu could be throwing live pitches against hitters within the next month.”
Ryu underwent elbow ligament splicing surgery, commonly known as Tommy John surgery, on June 19 last year. After rehabbing at TD Park in Dunedin, Florida, with the goal of returning in mid-July, Ryu joined the club in time for the team’s trip to Tampa Bay. It’s about a 30-minute drive to Tropicana Field from TD Park, which is also the home of Toronto’s Single-A team 먹튀검증.