Dodgers Injury Updates: Gavin Stone, River Ryan return timelines revealed

After a full year spent rehabbing from surgery on his throwing shoulder, Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Gavin Stone says he’s finally turned the corner.

“I just finished my rehab process, so hopefully going into next Spring Training, it’ll be full-go and we’ll see where it takes us,” Stone told K8 News last week, signaling that he expects no limitations when pitchers and catchers report in February.

The Dodgers organization has long viewed Stone as a back-end starter with upside, particularly after a 2024 breakout that saw him lead the team in wins (11), innings pitched (140.1) and starts (25) while posting a 3.53 ERA and 1.21 WHIP to go along with 116 strikeouts against 37 walks.

He hasn't pitched in an MLB game since Aug. 31, 2024, but the Dodgers are hopeful that he can pick up where he left off.

Stone also won’t be alone on the comeback trail. River Ryan, one of the Dodgers’ most electric young arms, is also tracking toward a full return after missing all of 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery. The club has been optimistic about Ryan’s progression, and his presence gives Los Angeles yet another high-ceiling arm arriving at just the right time.

Ryan also last pitched in August 2024, but Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said at the GM meetings last week that the right-hander should have a relatively normal spring training since he will be 18 months removed from the operation by that point.

Ryan had a 1.33 ERA and an 18:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 20 1/3 innings covering four starts for the Dodgers in 2024. It seems likely that he will open 2026 at Triple-A Oklahoma City as he builds his workload back up.

Gavin Stone, River Ryan face uphill battle to crack Dodgers' Opening Day rotation

The positive updates on Stone and Ryan are a welcome development for a Dodgers club that spent most of 2025 patching together innings, as both their starting rotation and bullpen battled numerous injuries.

Still, cracking the Opening Day rotation won’t be easy. The Dodgers already project to have at least five — possibly six — spots spoken for, depending on how they structure innings for Shohei Ohtani and manage early workloads.

That means Stone may open the year in Triple-A as well, but he profiles as the type of depth this team has relied on for a decade: a starter who can step in immediately when the inevitable injuries hit.

For a club that expects to contend deep into October again, Stone and Ryan represent something the Dodgers lacked for stretches of 2025 — reliable, internal pitching insurance. Even if neither opens the regular season in the rotation, both could play meaningful roles by summer. And for Stone, simply being “full-go” again is the first win of 2026.