River Ryan’s blowup start in Triple-A justifies Dodgers’ cautious approach

The line in the box score is the kind that makes a fan base wince. Los Angeles Dodgers prospect River Ryan gave up eight runs on 10 hits in just 4⅓ innings. He walked into that game as one of the best pitchers in the Pacific Coast League, but walked out having allowed more runs than in his last five games combined. Maybe the Dodgers have been right all along, and patience is key with Ryan.

The Dodgers have plenty of starters, but they’re missing some, too. Blake Snell won’t be back until mid-July at the earliest. Tyler Glasnow’s back has been a string of setbacks and “ramping up” updates that never quite seem to arrive. They’ve spent weeks duct-taping a six-man rotation together, leaning on Emmet Sheehan and Eric Lauer, along with a streaky Roki Sasaki. 

Within that messy group is a healthy pitcher who's on the 40-man roster and has arguably been the best pitcher in the PCL. Maybe Ryan is there for a reason, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a temptation to tell him to pack a bag and join the big club.

But the Dodgers haven’t given in to that just yet. They made it pretty clear in spring training why they were leaving Ryan in the minors, and they’ve backed up their words every step of the way. Dave Roberts called a promotion a “slim possibility” in May, but it’s not going to happen until the training staff and the front office align.

Part of the reason why they’ve taken that stance is Wednesday’s rough game. Though, to be completely fair, the stuff seemed mostly fine. His four-seamer was actually up a bit in velocity and his slider was too, though the spin was way down, which might be telling.

The Dodgers will continue to take it slow with River Ryan

The Dodgers aren’t slow-playing Ryan because they doubt his ability. They’re slow-playing this because his body is still rebuilding a base that it’s mostly never had. And there’s a meaningful gap between a rough night in the minors and a rough night in a pennant race in front of 50,000 people.

Plus, this is who the Dodgers are. They baby starters toward October, worrying little about regular season starts, with an eye on protecting a playoff arm. They don’t expedite timelines. The goal is to win as many games as possible without panicking and without throwing the process out of whack. A blowup in Oklahoma City doesn’t change the math. It might underline it, if anything.

With the rotation banged up, as it usually is this time of year, Ryan might be needed in some role sooner than later. His latest appearance was a nice reminder that “available” and “ready” aren’t always the same. Ryan is absolutely available. He’s healthy and on the 40-man roster, and has been the most reliable arm in the league before this week. But ready is a higher bar, and the Dodgers have the luxury of waiting a little bit longer on that.

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