The furthest extent of game action Hyun-Jin Ryu saw in 2015 was two starts in Spring Training. Despite reporting to Camelback Ranch in better shape than the last two years, Ryu was unable to get through the spring without issue.
He missed his first scheduled start due to back spasms, and received an anti-inflammatory injection in his left shoulder soon after his second Cactus League start.
Shoulder trouble was nothing new for Ryu, as he’d missed over three weeks on two separate occasions during the 2014 season.
However, even after the injection and being shut down, Ryu began the year on the disabled list and was never reinstated.
The reported impingement and inflammation in the left shoulder resulted in season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum on May 21. It was announced at the time Ryu was expected to be ready for Spring Training in 2016.
Now some six months later, Ryu’s agent Scott Boras said his client remains on schedule, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times:
“He’s doing great,” Boras said. “He’s playing long toss at 90 feet. Should be ready to go for spring training.”
As for whether Ryu will successfully bounce back from the operation, Boras said there isn’t reason to believe otherwise:
“We’ve heard nothing from physicians other than that he should return to normal play,” Scott Boras said.
In a press conference after his surgery, Ryu revealed the Dodgers were aware of the labrum tear when they signed him to a six-year contract in December of 2012. An MRI commissioned prior to Ryu’s signing revealed the tear that since has been the root of his sporadic shoulder issues.
Despite the tear, Ryu posted nearly identical seasons during his rookie year in 2013, and his sophomore campaign the following year. He’s a combined 28-15 with a 3.17 and 1.19 WHIP, making 30 and 26 starts in the respective seasons as the Dodgers’ No. 3 starter.
When recently discussing the outlook for the 2016 team, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman referred to Ryu as one of the club’s four “wild cards.”
With the uncertainty that currently surrounds the starting rotation, Ryu’s importance next season could be the highest it’s been since joining the Dodgers.
