River Ryan was cementing himself as a key member of the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation, but that came to an end when he suffered an elbow injury in his final start on August 10.
After additional testing, it was determined Ryan would need to undergo Tommy John surgery, which brought an end to his season. Without him, the Dodgers brought Walker Buehler back into their rotation, who was just activated off the 15-day injured list himself.
However, Buehler has struggled all season, and his latest outing did not provide much reason for hope.
With Ryan no longer part of the rotation this year, and likely all of next season, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that will create additional opportunities for some of the other young pitchers in the organization, including Landon Knack and Justin Wrobleski, via SportsNet LA:
“He was a big part, and the way he performed, he was in the conversation. Obviously now, Yamamoto, Landon Knack has pitched valuable innings for us, Wrobleski has been good for us. So it just continues to bring other names in the conversation as far as the depth.”
The good news for the Dodgers is Yoshinobu Yamamoto is making significant progress and should return this season, as long as he keeps progressing. Adding Yamamoto back would be a serious boost to a rotation that already features two top starts in Jack Flaherty and Tyler Glasnow.
Knack was recalled to pitch out of the bullpen when Ryan went on the injured list and ended up earning a four-inning save in his only appearance before being optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Knack could be back with the team at some point this season, however, he only has one option remaining before he would need to be designated for assignment and clear waivers before being sent to the Minor Leagues again.
Wrobleski is expected to re-join the team on Friday to give Glasnow an extra day of rest, and he could possibly stay with the team moving forward. But that may ultimately depend on how the Dodgers view Buehler and what their plan is for him.
While losing Ryan hurts the upside of the group as one of the best prospects in baseball, they do have the depth to manage without him.
Bobby Miller an option for Dodgers
Bobby Miller was among the Dodgers rookies to make his MLB debut during the 2023 season, and the team expected to rely on the right-hander as one of their anchors in the starting rotation this year.
However, Miller struggled through his first three starts and was placed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation in April. He was inconsistent upon returning and wound up being demoted to Triple-A.
Now, he could be close to joining the team once again as Miller was scratched from his last start at OKC as the club views him as a potential option to join the club this weekend.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
