Blue Monster Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto) is one step closer to returning to Major League Baseball (MLB).
The Toronto Blue Jays released a video on social media on Wednesday showing Ryu smiling and making a V with his right hand at Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay’s home stadium, along with the Korean phrase “Hello friend”. It was the start of Toronto’s four-game series against Tampa Bay.
“Ryu plans to throw a bullpen session in front of manager John Schneider on Thursday,” according to the Associated Press. It’s common for MLB pitchers to return from injury to throw bullpens, then live pitches, then minor league rehab assignments. Toronto general manager John Atkins said on Saturday that “Ryu could be throwing live pitches against hitters within the next month.”