What injury has Dodgers’ pitcher River Ryan suffered? How long will he be out?

River Ryan earned himself a spot in the Dodgers’ starting pitching rotation wen injury struck down Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Bobby Miller and Walker Beuhler. The rookie made his MLB debut on July 22 against the San Francisco Giants and had a solid game.

The right-hander pitched 5.1 innings, allowing four hits, one run, three walks and striking out two batters. He then made two more starts with an ERA of 0.82 against the Houston Astros and 1.72 against the Oakland Athletics. On Saturday, August 10, he returned to the mound at Chávez Ravine to face the Pittsburgh Pirates in his fourth game in the Major Leagues.

The rookie pitched 4.2 innings and struck out four batters before being replaced by Alex Vesia. Ryan felt discomfort in his arm and initially did not want to leave the game, but was persuaded to by Dave Roberts. Although the pitcher himself initially assured that he was not worried about the injury, on Sunday the worst news was confirmed.

River Ryan says goodbye to the 2024 season

On Sunday, after the Dodgers’ victory over the Pirates in the second game of the series played in Los Angeles, Dave Roberts confirmed the bad news. River Ryan’s injury was evaluated and it was confirmed that he will not pitch again with the first team for the remainder of the 2024 season. It is believed that he has strained the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow.

The Dodgers have placed Ryan on the 15-day injured list and as a temporary measure, have recalled Landon Knack ahead of today’s game against the Pirates, the last in the series.

As for Ryan, no decision has been made as to whether he might require Tommy John surgery or not. Nor has any rehabilitation plan been devised. But what’s certain is that he will not reappear until 2025 as he won’t have time to rest, recover and complete rehab before the end of the year.