The Los Angeles Dodgers entered Spring Training with a relatively healthy group of pitchers, but several arms remain limited or shut down from throwing. Among them are pitching prospects Nick Frasso and River Ryan, who both dealt with injuries at the end of the 2023 season.
Frasso suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder that required surgery this past November and is expecting to miss most, if not all of the 2024 Minor League season.
Ryan battled shoulder fatigue toward the end of his 2023 campaign after throwing a career-high 104.1 innings between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The Dodgers are exercising caution with Ryan and have decided that he will not pitch in a Cactus League game this spring, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
Two of the Dodgers’ top pitching prospects – River Ryan and Nick Frasso – will not be pitching this spring.
Plunkett added that Ryan will not be available to pitch at the start of the 2024 Minor League season:
Ryan, meanwhile, finished last season with shoulder fatigue after pitching a career-high 104⅓ innings between Double-A and Triple-A last season. Ryan will be handled cautiously this spring and start his season late.
River’s situation is similar to that of Bobby Miller a year ago, when the right-hander did not make his 2023 debut with Oklahoma City until the end of April after finishing the previous season with shoulder discomfort.
River is coming off a solid year that saw him go 1-7 with a 3.80 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 9.5 strikeouts per nine in his first action above High-A.
The 25-year-old originally joined the Dodgers in the 2022 trade that sent Matt Beaty to the San Diego Padres.
River Ryan among Dodgers prospects ranked in Keith Law’s top 100 for 2024 season
River was among five Dodgers prospects who placed on Keith Law’s top 100 list for the 2024 season, checking in at No. 33 overall.
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