While Major League Baseball is currently in the middle of a work stoppage, other leagues around the world, including the KBO League in Korea, continue to prepare for the start of another baseball season.
Most teams in Korea started their 2022 Spring Training camps at the beginning of February and Hyun-Jin Ryu, the Blue Jays’ veteran starter, has been a surprise participant at the Hanhwa Eagles’ camp this spring, training with his former KBO team.
Before starting Spring Training camp with the Eagles, Ryu, according to his agency Aspect Corporation, spent time with his personal trainer Jang Se-Hong on Jeju Island focusing on outdoor training including long toss sessions.
An update on how Blue Jays’ lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu is doing in Korea. Ryu is currently training with his former KBO team, the Hanhwa Eagles.
Originally planning to return to the Blue Jays Spring Training camp after his training in Jeju, Ryu instead elected to stay in Korea and join the Eagles after hearing that the initial negotiations to end the MLB lockout ended on a discouraging note.
#BlueJays SP Hyun Jin Ryu tosses his first bullpen session with Korea's Hanwha Eagles, per @DanielKimW. Ryu will reportedly train with the club until the MLB lockout ends.
— Ethan Diamandas (@EthanDiamandas) February 6, 2022
Video via @jhpae117 pic.twitter.com/jR4Ko7NsaK
So far, Ryu has thrown three bullpen sessions and has reportedly looked strong and sharp with his pitches. The news will be encouraging for Blue Jays fans who are hoping that their Korean ace bounces back from a disappointing 2021 season.
Hyun-jin Ryu rejoined #HanwhaEagles today and played catch (also squeezed in a long toss session) in the outfield. Looked healthy and seemed to be in good spirits after going thru a weeklong covid quarantine. #BlueJays https://t.co/j1aUuEogt6 pic.twitter.com/Ia12vc4syj
— Daniel Kim 대니얼 김 (@DanielKimW) February 23, 2022
However, despite the positive reports, it is also worth noting that Ryu and five other Hanhwa Eagles players had a minor COVID-19 scare, testing positive on February 17. Fortunately for Ryu and Blue Jays fans, the Korean lefty only needed the minimum 7 days of quarantine and according to ESPN’s Daniel Kim, has looked healthy and in good spirits after returning to the Eagles’ training camp.
It remains to be seen when Ryu leaves Korea and returns to Dunedin to start his preparations with the Blue Jays. However, in the meantime, it looks like Ryu is enjoying his time back in Korea, spending time with family, mentoring the next generation of Korean baseball players, and beginning his preparations for a bounce-back 2022 season.