Los Angeles Dodgers No. 6 prospect River Ryan has made three starts since returning from a hamstring injury, and looks more than ready for an MLB return.
He has incrementally ramped up in innings pitched since coming back from the injured list, throwing four innings in his return start, followed by a five-inning outing and a six-inning outing. He has allowed just one earned run during that 15 inning stretch, coming in his first start back.
That start came against the Albuquerque Isotopes, who he only allowed two hits to. He also had four strikeouts in that outing. His next start came against the Reno Aces, and he allowed two runs once again while holding his opponents scoreless and notching seven strikeouts. His start Saturday is by far the most impressive, as he posted six innings with eight strikeouts while only allowing one unearned run.
Ryan’s resurgence in Triple-A is expected, as his spring training foreshadowed a strong campaign from the 27-year-old
During spring training, Ryan had a 1.86 ERA through 9.2 innings pitched, and struck out 12 batters in the process.
How Has River Ryan Performed in MLB?
Ryan made his MLB debut in 2024, though only made four starts before landing on the injured list and undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Through those four starts, though, he showed plenty of promise. He threw 20.1 innings during that stretch, allowing just three earned runs for a 1.33 ERA and striking out 18 batters.
His best outing of the bunch came against the Houston Astros on the road, when he struck out eight batters through 5.2 innings pitched and earned his first MLB win.
Would River Ryan Be a Starter for the Dodgers if He Came Up?
Ryan would certainly be a starter for the Dodgers if they called him to MLB, as their rotation’s depth is rather thin at the moment. Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell both reside on the injured list at the moment, and will be out for a while longer.
Additionally, Ryan prefers the starting role.
“Personally, I think being a starter and coming out — having a whole prep routine before I get on the mound — is much better for my body, especially coming off of surgery,” Ryan said during spring training.
“Not really getting any throws before I try to warm up in the bullpen doesn’t feel all that great. But it’s manageable, and I’m feeling good now.”
If he came up to the majors, Ryan would likely displace either Eric Lauer or Emmet Sheehan, moving them to the bullpen.
Do you think it’s River Ryan’s time to return to MLB?
2 Responses
Absolutely deserves a chance to prove his worth
Its is a no brainer that River Ryan belongs back with the MLB team! I cannot understand why in the name of common sense, Eric Lauer was retained and allowed to start in place of calling up Ryan. In my opinion, his 2026 spring training effrorts compared to both Sheehan and Wrobleski, made them look like “Double A” team mates! Friedman, Roberts and several others are paid the big bucks to “intelligently” make team-related player maneuvers geared towards team improvement. As a Dodger fan since 1959, some of the present-day decisions make me wonder how they would have managed in the days of Koufax, or Martinez, or Willie Davis, or Hodges or Campanella or Roseboro etc! Friedman, Roberts et al’s, “modern-day playbook” ELUDES ME!!