The Dodgers introduced Tuesday that prime pitching prospect River Ryan will endure Tommy John surgical procedure. He’ll miss the rest of the 2024 season and fairly probably all the 2025 marketing campaign whereas recovering. Ryan, who posted a 1.33 ERA via his first 4 massive league begins, hit the injured listing over the weekend after struggling a UCL sprain in his most up-to-date begin.
Ryan’s 2024 season was already identified to be over, however the Tommy John process marks a worst-case situation within the wake of his UCL damage. An inside brace process would possibly’ve include a shorter timeline for restoration, however he’ll require a full ligament substitute, which tends to shelve pitchers for upwards of 14 months. Each rehab course of is completely different, and there’s all the time an opportunity Ryan would possibly heal a bit quicker than the usual pitcher, however a 12-month restoration is often an absolute minimal for pitchers who require Tommy John surgical procedure.
The 25-year-old Ryan was an Eleventh-round choose by the Padres in 2021. He went to the Dodgers in what now seems like a heist, sending first baseman/outfielder Matt Beaty again to San Diego. (Beaty performed in 20 video games with the Padres and hit .093/.170/.163 earlier than being lower unfastened.) Ryan even making the majors would’ve been a participant improvement success story for Los Angeles, however he as an alternative ascended to the purpose the place he’s considered one of many prime pitching prospects within the sport. Ryan climbed as excessive as No. 21 total on FanGraphs’ top-100 prospect rankings and sits 99th on MLB.com’s top-100 listing in the meanwhile.
The reasoning behind that rise isn’t particularly tough to see. Ryan spent the vast majority of the 2023 season in Double-A and pitched to a tidy 3.33 ERA in 97 1/3 frames earlier than being bumped to Triple-A late within the yr. He was hit onerous in these two begins however returned to Triple-A this yr and carved up opponents with a 2.76 ERA, 28.8% strikeout charge and 9.1% stroll charge in 5 begins. He was restricted within the minors this season as a result of a shoulder damage, however Ryan graduated to the majors with a 3.22 ERA, 28.5% strikeout charge and 10% stroll charge in components of three skilled seasons since being traded to the Dodgers group.
Extra to come back.
