Blue Jays Injury Report: 35-Year-Old Hyun Jin Ryu Undergoes Tommy John Surgery
2 min read • June 18, 2022
The Blue Jays announced that veteran southpaw Hyun Jin Ryu underwent Tommy John Surgery on Saturday and has a recovery timeline of 12-18 months.
Hyun Jin Ryu Injury Update
Ryu dealt with forearm issues all season and was officially ruled out for the rest of the season earlier this week.
The team had yet to specify the severity of the injury or which surgery would address it, but the Tommy John to repair a damaged UCL and flexor tendon is no surprise.
The 35-year-old will miss all of this season and likely all of next season, depending on the speed of his rehab, but could still return in 2024, although he will be a free agent.
What was once a career-ending surgery is not almost commonplace in MLB, with veteran pitchers such as Justin Verlander able to undergo the surgery in their late-30s and still return and compete at a high level.
The 35-year-old has struggled in the last two seasons, posting a 4.55 ERA, 1.240 WHIP and 159 strikeouts in 196 inning pitched.
He was one of the more consistent pitchers in baseball in his early 30s, putting up a 2.71 ERA with 440 strikeouts over 458.2 innings from 2017 to 2020 that saw him twice finish in the top-3 in NL Cy Young voting.
