Hyun Jin Ryu’s surgery and impact on Blue Jays: Everything you need to know
Does this mean the Blue Jays will explore acquiring a starter at the trade deadline?
Hyun Jin Ryu’s 2022 season is, in all likelihood, over. His 2023 season is in question, too.
On Tuesday, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Ryu will undergo surgery to repair chronic changes to his left ulnar collateral ligament. That procedure could be a full revision of the UCL — commonly known as Tommy John surgery — or it could be a partial repair of the ligament. Which procedure he receives will be determined once the surgery is underway, but either is expected to end his season.
Since the 35-year-old left-hander landed on the injured list June 2 — for the second time this year — with forearm inflammation, the Blue Jays and Ryu have been consulting with their medical team and outside doctors to find a path to recovery. After exploring conservative routes, Ryu and the team decided to go ahead with the surgery, which will be performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
“We were hopeful that there was the potential of a conservative route and weighed the pros and cons of that and ultimately decided that it was best to move forward with the procedure,” Atkins said.
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What do we know about the injury, the surgery and the recovery time?
Atkins described the injury as “chronic changes” to the ligament. That means there wasn’t an acute injury — no one pitch did this — but rather, over the years, the ligament has stretched from constant use. That’s why Ryu felt tightness in his elbow amid his starts this year.
“Over time, that stretching and pulling makes the tightness occur and loss of dexterity or feel to execute his pitches or really finish them,” Atkins said.
The Blue Jays explored conservative options, including a platelet-rich plasma injection or rest and rehab. But, the best path forward was surgical. If Ryu does get Tommy John surgery, it would be his second. He also underwent the procedure in high school.
“He, I think, got to the point where he said, I just want to compete as quick as humanly possible and felt like this was the best thing to do that and focused on doing that for us,” Atkins said.
The typical recovery timeline from Tommy John is about 12 to 15 months, though Ryu is 35 years old, so bouncing back at a mature age is a tougher ask. There’s a scenario where Ryu doesn’t pitch again for the Blue Jays, considering his contract is up after 2023.
If Ryu received the partial repair, his timeline would be shorter, but it’s unclear by how much less.
“Is it a third shorter? Is it a quarter shorter? It’s based on the patient, based on the rehab, the actual repair and how that process goes,” Atkins said.
The expectation is Ryu will be sidelined for the remainder of 2022. A return at some point next season would be a “great outcome,” Atkins said.
As for how Ryu is dealing with the news, the GM said he’s “extremely disappointed.”
“He’s professional and he’s a very tough individual and has perspective, but he’s extremely disappointed that he won’t be part of this in the near term,” Atkins said.
