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Still, his debut being indefinitely on hold is high on the list of frustrating aspects to the COVID-19 crisis.

In an effort to help him cope, the Jays front office and coaching staff have been in regular contact with Ryu, much of it through his personal translator Bryan Lee. So far, all is as well as can be for the team’s ace-in-waiting.

Once camp was dramatically shuttered and it was clear that traveling to Toronto — where the Ryus had expected to have their child — or back home to South Korea weren’t going to work, the team did its best to ensure Ryu was in good hands.

Jays staff explored multiple options in medical care, which ultimately led to them settling on an arrangement in which they would feel comfortable. Given that the time in Dunedin was going to be extended, Ryu was reportedly in touch with Martin — who caught most of his games with the Dodgers last season — and the couple was offered the opportunity to move into his nearby home.

From a baseball standpoint, Ryu has kept busy enough, albeit clearly pulling back from the workload he had built up to in Grapefruit League play where he was approaching the form that would have had him get the ball from manager Charlie Montoyo for the March 26 home and season opener.

As someone familiar with Ryu’s current routine described it this past week, he’s now in “January form,” working out regularly at the team’s Dunedin facilities and staying sharp enough to ramp up in intensity if and when that time comes.