[Yonhap News Photo]
Injured Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin has returned home without fanfare to continue his offseason rehab from elbow surgery, his agency said Tuesday.
Seoul-based A-Spec Corp. said Ryu came back to South Korea last Wednesday, and will be rehabbing his left elbow until his U.S. training schedules are set, possibly by early January.
The 29-year-old southpaw has made just one appearance over the past two seasons with shoulder and elbow problems. His 2015 season was wiped out by surgery to repair a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder in May. He returned to the mound on July 7 this year against the San Diego Padres, but after giving up six runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings, Ryu returned to the disabled list with left elbow tendinitis.
In September, Ryu had season-ending arthroscopic surgery to clear out damaged tissue from his elbow. Ryu is hoping to rejoin the Dodgers for spring training next year.
Ryu is the first player to make the jump from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to the majors via posting. He won 14 games in each of his first two seasons of 2013 and 2014, slotted behind Cy Young Award winners Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke in the Dodgers' rotation.
Ryu signed a six-year, 36 million US dollar deal before the 2013 season. He is signed through 2018 but can opt out in 2017 if he pitches 750 innings combined from 2013 to 2017. He's stuck at 344 innings.
(Yonhap)
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
