What to Expect from Dodgers Pitcher River Ryan

Amidst several injuries, the Dodgers will call upon help after the All-Star break. Dodgers pitching prospect River Ryan will reportedly head to Los Angeles after the four-day hiatus, joining a team that could certainly use the pitching help. Ryan hasn’t been healthy for much of 2024. But, the stuff has made Ryan, ranked #4 in the Dodgers’ system per MLB.com, a highly-touted prospect.

A Look at Ryan

The Dodgers have a knack for grabbing pitching prospects from teams in lesser-known trades. Los Angeles scooped up Nick Frasso in a July 2022 trade that sent Mitch White to Toronto. Four months earlier, the Dodgers snatched River Ryan from division rival San Diego in exchange for Matt Beaty.

At the time of the trade, Beaty was an intriguing bat with no clear path in LA. Ryan was a 2021 11th-round pick who hadn’t thrown a pro pitch with the Padres but quickly rose up the ladder. He struck out 70 over 47.2 IP in 2022 across two levels, then punched out 110 batters over 104.1 IP and made it to Triple-A for two starts.

Ryan missed most of 2024 on the IL. He made just seven outings before his callup, five of which were in Triple-A. The 25-year-old struck out 19 over 16.1 IP and opposing batters hit .224 off him with Oklahoma City.

Standing at 6’2” with an explosive delivery, Ryan has a plus fastball with velocity. The new Dodgers pitcher can hit 100 MPH, although he’ll operate in the mid-90s as a stater, with an IVB of 14.2”. The combination of carry and velocity makes his fastball an eye-popping pitch.

Additionally, Ryan will work with a low-80s curveball, a harder slider that can hit 90 OVR MPH, a sinker, and a changeup that can get whiffs both up and down the zone. What do all of those weapons lead to? A lot of whiffs, which come all over the place.

As you can see, Ryan gets misses everywhere.

Given what Los Angeles has in their organization, Ryan could very well be a #3 starter at the MLB level. That’s perfectly fine, and the possibility of Shohei Ohtani entering the Dodgers’ 2025 rotation could benefit Ryan and his workload, assuming he sticks in the big leagues moving forward. Ryan hasn’t thrown more than 104.1 IP as a pro.

Per reports, the Dodgers will promote River Ryan after the All-Star break.

Analysis

The Dodgers will be short on pitching for the immediate future. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is on the 60-day IL and won’t be back until at least August, while Dustin May won’t pitch at all after a second surgery. Not to mention, Tyler Glasnow and Walker Buehler are also on the IL.

With Ryan healthy, he’s got a chance to stick at the MLB level for the rest of the season, so long as he A) stays healthy and B) commands his stuff. Ryan has multiple above-average offerings in his arsenal, and there are plenty of examples — Sonny Gray and Zack Wheeler, to name a few — who can deftly leverage their four-seamer and two-seamer to work all quadrants of the zone.

Fantasy Outlook

Ryan has mixed league value, as soon as when the second half of the 2024 MLB season kicks off. He’s got the stuff to be a starter and there’s opportunity in the Los Angeles rotation with all of their injuries.