Los Angeles Dodgers prospect River Ryan underwent successful Tommy John surgery that was completed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache. A timetable has not yet been provided for Ryan’s recovery.
“Everything went great,” manager Dave Roberts said of the operation.
The procedure was necessary after Ryan sustained a strained ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) strain in his right elbow during a start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 10.
Ryan was removed in the fifth inning with what initially was described as right forearm tightness. He also expressed hope the injury would not be too serious but an MRI and additional testing revealed the UCL strain.
Ryan is currently away from the Dodgers but should return to the team shortly. “He’s back home in North Carolina visiting his son, but he’ll be back, I think next week,” Roberts said.
The right-hander was only four starts into his MLB career before the injury and had been a pleasant surprise for the Dodgers. He went 1-0 with a 1.33 ERA, 3.38 FIP and 1.18 WHIP in 20.1 innings at the big league level.
Ryan will now miss the remainder of the 2024 season and potentially all of next year as well.
Pitch clock to blame for River Ryan’s injury?
With a sharp rise in pitcher injuries across MLB, some believe the pitch clock is partly to blame. That was a point Ryan raised in the immediate aftermath of his injury.
“It’s part of the game. It happens,” Ryan initially said of getting injured. “I mean, the pitch clock definitely makes you speed up a lot. Which back in the day you didn’t have to speed up as much. Throwing back-to-back pitches within 15 seconds starts to take a toll.”
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