As the Dodgers bullpen struggled with injuries and inconsistencies in the weeks and months leading up to the postseason, many Dodgers fans clamored for the 27-year-old righty to make an early return to the Bigs in hopes of bolstering the embattled pitching staff.
Ryan said it was almost coming to fruition.
“I know towards the end of my rehab in Arizona there was a lot of back and forth about getting back and pitching in the postseason,” Ryan said. “But my agent and the organization were all in agreement: ‘Just have a normal offseason, there’s no reason to force it. Get ready for 2026.’ And that’s what we decided to do.”
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The entire offseason and rehab process has allowed the Dodgers’ No. 9 prospect to adjust his mechanics, lift “like an animal” to add weight to his 6-foot-4 frame and ultimately get his body right.
“I was able to go back and dissect some things and really fine-tune and fine-tune some things in my mechanics,” Ryan told McKain. “At the end of ’25 I had all year to do a lot of shoulder strengthening. So I think that was the problem in ’24. But now, on my last one, about three or four live [at-bats]I was about 98 to 100 [mph] all the time and I bounced back great. So yeah, my fastball is in a really, really good spot. I’m really happy with it.”
Ryan also teased a surprise new pitch he’s been working on this offseason, though he was coy about the details.
“I’m not going to reveal the field. I want to surprise people a little bit next year,” he said. “I think that’s seven now that I can throw, and I’m just really excited to be able to get out there and show them all off.”
He was willing to reveal that the new field was no cakewalk. “That’s one thing I can’t do: throw a knuckleball. It’s bad.”
River Ryan recovery, expectations for 2026
Ryan was one of the Dodgers’ top players heading into the 2024 season and was thrust into a starting role when the team’s rotation was decimated by injuries. He appeared in four games in 2024, all starts, and posted a 1.33 ERA while posting a single win before being shut down for the year with an elbow injury that later required surgery to repair a torn UCL.
Unlike 2024, there are far fewer opportunities for the right-hander to crack the starting rotation with deep starters like Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and of course Shohei Ohtani. Ryan will likely compete for the fifth spot in a starting pitching rotation that includes Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski, Landon Knack or Ben Casparius, as well as 2024 starter Gavin Stone, who himself is fighting back from shoulder surgery that sidelined him for all of last season.
Ryan says he’s up for the challenge, but grateful for the opportunity regardless.
“We have a lot of great, great starting pitchers. But I’m just going to do what they tell me to do. It’s a blessing to be able to play Major League Baseball,” he said. “I definitely try not to worry about whether I’m going to be a No. 1 starter or a No. 5 starter. It honestly has no effect as long as I do what I can do and control what I can control.”
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Ryan was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 11th round of the 2021 MLB Amateur Draft after a standout career as a two-way player at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. His multi-positional athleticism and versatility have made him a favorite talent among Dodgers fans, the organization and rival teams; his name has been floated as a possible inclusion in trade talks.
Regardless of what the future holds, the Dodgers front office and coaching staff have made it clear that they have high expectations for the North Carolina native and would like to take things slow so he can reach his full potential.
To watch Doug’s full conversation with River Ryan, including his plans for a new walkout number, predicting Miguel Rojas’ game-tying goal in Game 7 of the World Series, and whether he plans to change his jersey number: click here.
Photo credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
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