Dodgers' young pitching dealt another devastating blow after River Ryan diagnosis

The Dodgers lost another young pitcher on Saturday, after already incurring long-term losses in Kyle Hurt and would-be starter Nick Frasso — a top prospect who underwent a sneaky labrum surgery in November of last year, though the Dodgers didn't disclose that until February, explaining Frasso's absence at spring training.

On Saturday, the Dodgers added River Ryan to that list. Ryan made four great starts in LA before being taken out 4 2/3 innings into his outing against the Pirates with clear discomfort in his arm. After the game, he said his concern wasn't high, and that he'd "begged to let keep going."

However, Roberts made the right call in pulling him, because testing after the game showed a strained UCL. On Tuesday, they announced that Ryan would be undergoing Tommy John surgery, putting a final (sort of expected, but no less devastating) nail in the coffin of his debut season.

Dodgers rookie standout River Ryan to undergo Tommy John surgery

Ryan also joins a larger list of Dodgers pitchers who've sustained injuries this season, which basically includes every starter except Gavin Stone and Jack Flaherty -- who, despite lower back issues, managed to stay off the IL with the Tigers and doesn't seem to be dealing with them anymore.

Landon Knack was recalled from Triple-A to replace Ryan when the initial roster move was made. Knack has had a respectable go of things in the majors after getting his debut on April 17 (3.07 ERA over eight starts and one relief appearance), but he's been nowhere near as dominant as Ryan, who only gave up three earned runs in 20 1/3 innings.

Just when the Dodgers thought that they had something resembling a full rotation again, they've lost another starter for the foreseeable future. Walker Buehler is on his way back from another rehab assignment and Yoshinobu Yamamoto is still working to get back before the end of the year, but this is another frustration and disappointment for a promising young Dodgers pitcher.