Dodgers continuing to build up No. 6 prospect Ryan for future

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LOS ANGELES -- When Blake Snell landed on the injured list with loose bodies in his left elbow a little over two weeks ago, manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the "slim possibility" of River Ryan assuming his spot in the Dodgers' rotation.

That night, May 15, the Dodgers' six-man rotation was in flux, whittled down to five members with Snell on the IL. Ryan was the only additional healthy starting pitcher on the 40-man roster, and he was making his return from a right hamstring injury with Triple-A Oklahoma City that very evening, on top of this being his first season after Tommy John surgery.

"The most important thing is his progression," Roberts said at the time. "If everyone isn’t on board with that and speeding it up, then it’s moot. It’s not going to happen. It’s a non-starter. But if the training staff feels that it’s OK and you’re not compromising him and the progression, then it’s a conversation."

Indeed, the Dodgers sought external help rather than expediting Ryan's progression. They acquired Eric Lauer from the Blue Jays, and he tossed six innings of one-run ball in his team debut last Tuesday against the Rockies. Meanwhile, Ryan has been sharp for the Comets, allowing just two runs (one earned) across 15 innings in three starts since being activated from the Minor League IL.

Dating back to Spring Training, the Dodgers have spoken about the importance of Ryan, their No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline, building a foundation before returning to the big league club. In his most recent start, Ryan stretched out to six innings for the first time as a professional, but the way L.A. sees it, he still has a long way to go in his buildup.

"It was great to see him get to six innings," general manager Brandon Gomes said. "He looks great. The stuff coming out of hand is awesome. I think we're gonna keep building him up and try to build a nice foundation before we look to do anything there."

So what exactly does that foundation look like?

Ryan hasn't pitched many professional innings in his career. He tossed a career-high 104 1/3 frames between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A in 2023, but he threw fewer than 50 innings in both '22 and '24 and missed all of '25 due to Tommy John surgery. Pitching in the Minor Leagues gives Ryan a more controlled environment in which to reacclimate to taking the ball every sixth day.

When he debuted with L.A. in 2024, Ryan showed that his stuff plays at the big league level, posting a 1.33 ERA across four starts. The Dodgers envision him making an impact with his electric stuff at some point, but factoring in his career workload, he's probably limited in the number of innings that he can realistically give the team this year. Then it becomes a question of whether the back-to-back champions are better served getting those innings from him now or deeper into the season.

"I think it's always hard when guys are performing, and obviously, I'm sure they're like, 'Why can't I just do that in L.A.?'" Gomes said. "I think as a player, when you've done that, you're kind of seeing what's going on. I think the good thing about River, and what we try to tell our guys, is part of the benefit of being in our organization is that you're gonna have really good resources, and the small downside is that there's a lot of really good players.

"So I think it's like, 'Keep your feet where they're at and continue to perform.'"

When they can, the Dodgers tend to play the long game with their talents. In Ryan's case, easing him into this season is not just about having him available for the stretch run and the postseason, but also being mindful that he could be a big part of this team for years to come.