Ryu stays in MLB instead of returning to Hanwha…Agent Boras “Ryu will pitch in USA next year”

The “Korean Monster” Ryu Hyun-jin will likely continue to play Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2024.

Ryu’s agent, Scott Boras, appeared at a general managers’ meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Sept. 9 (KST). According to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Canadian outlet Sportsnet, Boras told reporters that “there’s a lot of interest from big league teams,” after being asked about the free agent.

Ryu, who broke into the big leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013, played for one team through 2019 before signing a four-year, $80 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays that winter. He took on the challenge of the hard-hitting American League East.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing. In its first year, the season was disrupted by COVID-19 and the number of games per team was reduced to 60. On top of that, Toronto was unable to use its home stadium, Rogers Centre, due to Canadian government restrictions, and had to play its home games elsewhere until July 2021.

Still, Ryu had a successful first year in Toronto, going 5-2 with a 2.69 ERA in 12 games and 67 innings pitched. In 2021, he reached double-digit wins with a 14-10 record and a 4.37 ERA in 31 games and 169 innings pitched.

However, Ryu’s big break came in June of last year. Injuries caught up with him. After taking the mound against the Chicago White Sox on June 2, 2022, Ryu felt unwell after completing his assignment, and after a medical examination, he decided to undergo elbow ligament splicing surgery (Tommy John surgery). Thus, his third season in Toronto came to an early end.

There were no guarantees that he would be able to make a comeback after the surgery, and his age seemed to be an issue. Local media outlets were also mostly pessimistic about Ryu.

After more than a year of rehabilitation, Ryu made his first start in more than a year and two months on Aug. 2 at home against the Baltimore Orioles. Since then, he has worked his way through the starting rotation, showing Toronto that he is healthy, especially in August, when he went 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA in five games and 24 innings. Everyone on the team, including Toronto manager John Schneider, welcomed Ryu’s return. 무지개토토 주소

The end was disappointing. With three wins on the season, Ryu was unable to add any more, and was pulled from the mound after just three innings against the Tampa Bay Rays on March 1, when the team was in the thick of the race. He didn’t even make the roster for the AL Wild Card Series against the Minnesota Twins.