2024 review: River Ryan

A promising debut by the right-hander, but cut short by Tommy John surgery

River Ryan reaching the majors and making his debut was a memorable moment in a Dodgers season full of them, even if the right-hander’s first time in the big leagues was cut short by an elbow injury.

Shoulder soreness sidelined Ryan during spring training and he missed the first few months of the season, but he excelled once he was activated in the minors, striking out a third of his batters faced with a 2.22 ERA in 24⅓ innings before getting the call to the majors just after the All-Star break, on July 22.

Ryan, who was acquired from the Padres in March 2022 for Matt Beaty, allowed only one unearned run in 5⅓ innings against San Francisco in his major league debut, and left a tied game to a loud ovation from the Dodger Stadium crowd that stuck with him.

“The ground starts to shake a little bit when everybody gets loud,” Ryan said. “That was really fun to be a part of.”

Ryan was a two-way player at UNC-Pembroke, also playing the infield, and was drafted as such by San Diego in 2021. He didn’t switch to full-time pitching until joining the Dodgers a year later. During his parts of three seasons in the minors, Ryan never pitched more than five innings in any one outing. So his first time pitching into a sixth inning as a professional came in his major league debut.

From that night’s game recap:

After the game, Ryan said [manager Dave] Roberts told him in the dugout that he looked a little tired in the sixth inning, to which Ryan said, “Yeah, I’ve never been in the sixth inning before.”

July was a particularly turbulent time for Dodgers pitchers, as the club was trying to fill innings in every way possible, including turning to rookie arms. Ryan was the first Los Angeles starter to pitch into the sixth inning in 13 games, then he did so again in his second start, too.

Ryan allowed only four runs (three earned runs) in his four starts with the Dodgers, and recorded between 14 and 17 outs in each start. In his final start of the year, on August 10 against the Pirates, Ryan showed off his former infielder skills with an incredible stab and throw to first base in the first inning. I especially enjoy Roberts’ reaction to this play from the dugout:

Ryan pitched 4⅔ scoreless innings in that August 10 start and would have certainly lasted longer than his 52 pitches, but he felt forearm tightness and had to leave the game.

That proved ominous, as Ryan required Tommy John surgery in mid-August, one of several injured Dodgers pitchers in 2024.

2024 particulars

Age: 25

Stats: 4 starts, 1.33 ERA, 18 K, 9 BB, 20⅓ IP

Salary: $278,495 (pro-rated share of the $740,000 minimum salary)

Game of the year

Ryan struck out eight in 5⅔ innings on July 28 in Houston, and allowed only one run in his second major league start. The longest outing of his professional career earned the right-hander his first major league win, with an exultant roar along the way.

Roster status

Ryan has 70 days of major league service time. Given the timing of his Tommy John surgery, it’s likely that he will miss the entirety of the 2025 season.