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Dodgers Prospect River Ryan Undergoing Tommy John Surgery

Matthew Moreno
2 Min Read
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 10: River Ryan #77 of Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after being replaced in the top of the fifth inning during the regular season game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium on August 10, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Gene Wang/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Dodgers rookie River Ryan is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery. The procedure is expected to be completed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.

Ryan needing Tommy John surgery doesn’t come as much of a surprise considering the nature of his injury and that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had already revealed he would miss the remainder of the 2024 season.

“It was a UCL strain. I don’t now which grade it is. All I know is this is going to be the season,” Roberts said on Sunday.

Ryan was removed early from his start over the weekend against the Pittsburgh Pirates due to what was initially described as right forearm tightness.

“I definitely didn’t want to come out of the game, I wanted to finish,” Ryan said after the Dodgers’ win. “But they saw me grimace a little bit on the mound, and they’re not going to take any chances, so they decided to end it there.”

He also expressed hope the injury would not be too serious but an MRI and additional testing the following morning revealed that Ryan sustained a strained ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow.

The right-hander was only four starts into his MLB career and had been a pleasant surprise for the Dodgers. Ryan went 1-0 with a 1.33 ERA, 3.38 FIP and 1.18 WHIP in 20.1 innings at the big league level.

What Tommy John surgery means for River Ryan

Needing Tommy John not only ends Ryan’s bid to continue making an impact for the Dodgers this year and potentially in the playoffs, but it puts his 2025 season in jeopardy as well.

The 25-year-old joins a long list of injured Dodgers pitchers, which includes Kyle Hurt having Tommy John surgery last month.

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Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com