During a tense game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Dodgers rookie pitcher River Ryan felt discomfort in his right forearm mid-inning. Manager Dave Roberts quickly rushed to check on him, leading to Ryan being pulled from the game after 4.2 innings of flawless pitching.
Though the Dodgers secured a 4-1 victory, Sunday brought troubling news: an MRI revealed Ryan would be sidelined for at least two months, effectively ending his season after just four starts. He joins an ever-growing injured list for the team.
This season, the Dodgers have already seen 11 pitchers hit the injured list, and Ryan’s injury might require surgery, as hinted by Roberts. “We’ve got a lot of depth,” he noted, “but it’s tough for River.”
In his brief MLB stint, Ryan posted an impressive 1.33 ERA with 18 strikeouts across 20.1 innings, marking a notable achievement for someone who transitioned from position player to pitcher only two years ago.
The roster has faced multiple setbacks with key pitchers like Dustin May and Clayton Kershaw having missed time due to injury. Roberts emphasized a bigger issue in baseball, stating, “Clearly we don’t have answers for managing pitcher health. Injuries are on the rise.”
The Dodgers’ track record of pitcher injuries is concerning; they’ve had seven players undergo Tommy John surgery in the last five years, placing them in the upper tier of the league for such procedures. Over the past three seasons, Dodgers pitchers have only managed at least 25 starts just four times.
Andrew Friedman, the team’s president of baseball operations, pointed out that the current landscape of baseball encourages pitchers to push their limits for more velocity and better spin rates, addressing a larger trend that affects many teams. “But the point is,” he added, “it’s too much.”