River Ryan‘s season was already known to be over. The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Tuesday that the right-hander will undergo Tommy John surgery. Ryan, 25, will miss the remainder of this season and potentially all of next season while recovering. The Dodgers top pitching prospect posted a 1.33 ERA through his first four big league starts. He had shown impressive form before the setback, leaving the Dodgers to adjust to his absence and find ways to fill the gap in their pitching rotation.
River Ryan will undergo Tommy John surgery, Dodgers say.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) August 13, 2024
River Ryan to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
As Ryan worked on another start on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, his night ended sooner than expected. He left the game in the fifth inning alongside a trainer after allowing four hits over 4 2/3 scoreless innings. Ryan missed the first two months of this season with a sore shoulder. The Dodgers later announced that Ryan left with right forearm tightness. After undergoing an MRI on Sunday, the rookie’s season ended with a right elbow injury and was placed on the 15-day injured list. Losing Ryan is the latest hit to a Dodgers team that has been hit hard by injuries this season.
Los Angeles entered the year with Clayton Kershaw on the injured list and Walker Buehler returning from Tommy John surgery. Tony Gonsolin is still recovering from the same surgery last summer. Meanwhile, Emmet Sheehan and Dustin May fell to season-ending surgeries and Yoshiobu Yamamoto is working his way back from a strained rotator cuff. Bobby Miller has made seven starts in the majors this season but has been ineffective both with the Dodgers and Triple-A. He had an 8.07 ERA in seven starts in the majors but has a 5.85 ERA. It’s safe to say that Miller is an emergency option for the time being.
The Dodgers rotation currently features Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone and Jack Flaherty. Buehler should return from the injured list later this week but struggled with a 5.84 ERA in eight starts. Los Angeles has used 17 different starting pitchers this season, the most in baseball. Yet, they are 70-49 and have the best record in the National League. Another NL West title is far from guaranteed with the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres trailing the Dodgers by 3 1/2 games.
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