Los Angeles Dodgers prospect River Ryan may need Tommy John surgery for a strained ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow.
Manager Dave Roberts revealed the latest details for Ryan’s injury after the Dodgers’ walk-off win against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He added it has not yet been decided if Ryan will require Tommy John surgery, but the rookie won’t pitch again in 2024.
Ryan underwent an MRI and additional tests on Sunday, which revealed the UCL strain in his throwing elbow. Roberts said before the series finale against the Pirates that Ryan would not return this season but stopped short of declaring he needed Tommy John surgery.
Ryan suffered the injury in his start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night. He first experienced forearm discomfort during the third inning but used a Theragun and continued pitching.
He then felt more discomfort in the fifth inning and was removed from the game after a brief conversation with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and head athletic trainer Thomas Albert.
“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.”
Ryan also added he didn’t have much concern over the injury at the time. “I mean, I feel pretty solid right now. They ran me through some tests, strong,” he said. “Going to the doctor tomorrow morning, see what happens.”
The Dodgers recalled Landon Knack from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take Ryan’s spot on the roster, but his time up with the team may be brief. Walker Buehler is scheduled to be activated off the 15-day injured list Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Ryan went 1-0 with a 1.33 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in four starts for the Dodgers this season. The 25-year-old also pitched for the Arizona Complex League Dodgers, Single-A Rancho Cucamonga and Oklahoma City Baseball Club prior to making his mlb debut.
Ryan’s starts with the ACL team and Quakes were part of a rehab assignment after he missed Spring Training because of right shoulder inflammation.
Impact of River Ryan’s injury
Losing Ryan to injury puts more pressure on a Dodgers rotation that’s been in a state of flux for much of the past two years.
Ryan started to enter into the conversation to have a postseason role amid Gavin Stone’s recent struggles, and uncertainty with Buehler, Bobby Miller and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
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