Gavin Stone, River Ryan's spring debuts make Dodgers' pitching depth look even more formidable

Gavin Stone and River Ryan both made their long-awaited returns to the mound this week, helping the Dodgers to their (through Wednesday's game) current undefeated streak in Cactus League play. Stone underwent a shoulder surgery in 2024 after pitching a little over 140 innings (he still ended up being the Dodgers' innings leader that season, which says a lot), and Ryan went down after just three electric starts.

Both are healthy and competing for a roster spot in spring training. The Dodgers haven't explicitly said they're going to a six-man rotation, but they certainly have the depth for it, and Blake Snell's absence for ... who knows how long will leave a vacancy in the rotation anyway.

Stone, Ryan, and Emmet Sheehan are the leading contenders, but Stone and Ryan have a lot more to prove after missing 2025 entirely.

Stone went first, pitching a clean inning with two strikeouts against the Guardians on Tuesday. Ryan followed on Wednesday against the Diamondbacks, replacing Payton Martin for the bottom of the third and striking out the first batter he faced. He only allowed one walk before getting out of the inning thanks to a nice play by Dalton Rushing to catch Jordan Lawlar trying to steal second.

Gavin Stone, River Ryan's positive early returns from spring training emphasize Dodgers' insane pitching depth

It's not a great sign for Roki Sasaki, being outshone by two pitchers coming off of injuries. In Sasaki's 1 1/3 inning start ahead of Ryan's relief appearance, he gave up three runs on three hits and two walks.

Both Stone and Ryan's returns have generated a lot of hype as we've gotten further into spring training. Stone threw a complete game shutout in 2024 (which, granted, probably contributed to his shoulder issues), and Keith Law of The Athletic said Ryan "could be the top pitching prospect in baseball if he were completely healthy."

Andrew Friedman specificially singled out both as injury returns he's most excited to see. The Dodgers can only fit so many bodies onto their roster, but if Sheehan and one of Stone or Ryan get rotation spots, it seems likely LA will try to fit the straggler into the bullpen somehow. That means fringe candidates like Henriquez, Wrobleski, Jack Dreyer, Ben Casparius, and Will Klein might need to watch their backs.

Even if one or more of them ends up in Triple-A to start the season, these strong starts have been a nice reminder that the Dodgers are more than prepared for any injuries that might befall them this season.