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Top Dodgers prospect’s possible early return from Tommy John could give LA more options

ByEmma Lingan|
Aug 4, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher River Ryan (77) throws a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Aug 4, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher River Ryan (77) throws a pitch against the Oakland Athletics during the first inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

After a busy offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers are entering the 2025 season with one of the deepest rotations in baseball. Free agent signings Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki represent just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Los Angeles' starting pitching depth, with returning arms like Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin further adding to the strength of the rotation.

However, given this team's lengthy history of pitching injuries – Glasnow spent significant time on the injured list last year, while May and Gonsolin missed the 2024 season entirely – it's always a good idea to have more options. That's where right-hander River Ryan comes in.

Top Dodgers prospect River Ryan's possible early return from Tommy John surgery could give LA more options

Ryan earned his first Major League call-up last July and impressed with a 1.33 ERA and 18 strikeouts over 20 1/3 innings in four starts before his season was unexpectedly cut short due to injury. Ryan underwent Tommy John surgery in August, with an expected recovery timetable of 12-18 months that could realistically rule him out for the entire 2025 season.

However, Ryan made a surprising revelation at spring training this week when he shared with reporters that he is "hopefully looking to be back by September." If the 25-year-old manages to defy the odds and return to the mound in that time frame, he could be available to the Dodgers in the postseason if he's healthy enough.

“I’m not going to rush anything if I’m not feeling it elbow-wise," Ryan cautioned. "I’m definitely not going to try to push through that, got a lot of time left.” 

Ironically, a large part of the reason the Dodgers' top pitching prospect made his big league debut as early as he did last season – just two years after becoming a full-time pitcher after slashing .308/.349/.436 in the Arizona Complex League in 2021 – was because Los Angeles had 11 different starters land on the IL at one point or another. Once expected to replace those injured starters, Ryan has now joined them; still, he could be back sooner rather than later.

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