Ryan, 27, made his debut for LA in 2024 but missed the end of that season and the entire 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He made four starts for the Dodgers and posted a 1.33 ERA through 20.1 innings while striking out 18 batters.
More news: Dodgers trade target linked to Red Sox as the offseason progresses
The right-hander has a six-pitch arsenal, consisting of a four-seam fastball, a slider, a curveball, a sinker, a changeup and a cutter.
“I’m not going to reveal the field,” Ryan told Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation. “I want to surprise people a little bit next year. The way I figured out how to throw it, I was just in the middle of an outing and I was watching some film and a trackman on what my pitch shapes were and I was… I was a little surprised at one of them and I was like, I didn’t know I could make the ball do that.
“So after I figured it out, unfortunately I got injured and had to stop throwing. So I had to pick the ball up again when I was able to spin the ball again in rehab. Um, and I just figured out what I did to get the ball to do that and um, yeah, we tightened it up a little bit from then on. It’s still… it’s still in the works. I mean, it’s… I don’t think it’s going to be a heavily used pitch, but it’s definitely a different one. strikeout option if necessary.”
More news: Dodgers’ Mookie Betts almost quit baseball to play college basketball
Although he didn’t say what the pitch would be, Ryan jokingly said what it wouldn’t be.
“Definitely not a knuckleball,” Ryan said. “That’s one thing I can’t do: throw a knuckleball. It’s bad.”
Ryan may not return to the rotation for his season with the Dodgers, but he will be a welcome addition to the roster regardless of where they play him. The Dodgers hope the right-hander can pick up where he left off in 2024 and continue to provide them with solid performances throughout the season.
More news: Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamamoto signs the best MLB move during Christmas week
Photo credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
#Dodgers #River #Ryan #adds #field #Arsenal