Hanwha Eagles ace Ryu Hyun-jin (38) reported discomfort in an injury area that had troubled him in the past. The Hanwha club plans to approach cautiously and will give Ryu Hyun-jin a break.
Hanwha removed Ryu Hyun-jin from the first-team roster ahead of the game against the KIA Tigers at Gwangju KIA Champions Field on the 6th. Hanwha called up Lee Tae-yang to replace Ryu Hyun-jin.
Ryu Hyun-jin started against KT on the 5th but recorded 3⅔ innings, 8 hits (1 home run), 1 walk, 1 hit-by-pitch, 3 strikeouts, and 4 earned runs. The process of his exit raised more concerns than the results. He showed signs of discomfort after throwing the first pitch to Ahn Hyun-min with two outs and the bases loaded in the 4th inning. Ryu Hyun-jin signaled to the dugout himself and was replaced after expressing discomfort in his left adductor.
It did not lead to a major injury. However, it was deemed necessary for Ryu Hyun-jin to take a break. The Hanwha club explained, "Ryu Hyun-jin was removed from the roster to recover from discomfort in the left adductor caused during pitching on the 5th, and it is expected that he will join the team after missing about two rotation turns." It is not a serious injury that would cause him to miss the entire first half of the season. He is expected to return around the end of June.
Ryu Hyun-jin is no stranger to left adductor injuries. He struggled with this injury during his time in the major leagues. He sustained left adductor injuries in April 2016, May 2018, and April 2019 while with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In 2016, he underwent shoulder surgery and experienced delays in returning to the field due to adductor pain during rehabilitation. In particular, he missed over three months due to a torn adductor injury in May 2018. The injury in 2018 was the most severe. In 2019, he made a comeback after just 12 days due to a mild sprain and had a season challenging for the Cy Young Award.
Since returning to his former team Hanwha last year, Ryu Hyun-jin has consistently maintained his spot in the starting rotation. After undergoing Tommy John surgery on his elbow during his time with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022, he spent the 2023 season returning to play. In addition, after returning to Hanwha last year, he made a total of 41 starts over two seasons.
Considering Ryu Hyun-jin's age of 38, the Hanwha bench is thoroughly managing his pitch count, but it seems that time cannot be deceived.
Fortunately, Ryu Hyun-jin's expected absence due to injury is not projected to be lengthy. As Hanwha competes with the LG Twins for the top spot, they decided not to push Ryu Hyun-jin and provided him with a break for a more intense second half of the season.
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