Another Dodgers Pitcher Will Undergo Tommy John Surgery

Maren Angus-Coombs | Aug 13, 2024

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Dodgers received another round of devastating news: Pitcher River Ryan will undergo Tommy John surgery.

The team confirmed the course of action on Tuesday morning. Full Tommy John surgery typically requires a recovery timetable of between 12 and 18 months.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters before Sunday's series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates that Ryan would miss the remainder of the season with an injury but he did not know the specifics after the rookie underwent an MRI earlier that morning.

Just two days after it was announced that River Ryan’s 2024 is over, the Dodgers have now revealed he will be undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Absolutely devastating news but we know Ryan will come back strong 🙏 pic.twitter.com/zJszg5Z3Wg

— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) August 13, 2024

“They are waiting on other scans to determine the exact course of action,” Roberts said.

He also said that Tommy John was under consideration.

The Dodgers acquired Ryan in a trade with the San Diego Padres in March 2022. At the time, he was an infielder and the Dodgers turned him into a pitcher.

Ryan went 1-0 for the Dodgers this season with a 1.33 earned run average. He was pulled in the fifth inning of Saturday's game against the Pirates. He told reporters after the game that he began feeling discomfort in his forearm in the third inning but didn't think much of it. He used a Theragun to massage it between innings.

After a few pitches to Michael A. Taylor, Ryan grimaced in pain and was seen shaking his right hand.

“Obviously, when you see a guy go on his forearm, it’s always disconcerting,” Roberts said.

Dodgers pitchers to have Tommy John/elbow surgery in the last two years:

Tony Gonsolin
Dustin May
Walker Buehler
Emmet Sheehan
Kyle Hurt
River Ryan
Shohei Ohtani (before he was with the Dodgers)

— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) August 13, 2024

Ryan argued to stay in the game but the facial expression he made was seen by Roberts and the training staff.

“I wanted to finish,” Ryan said. “But they saw me grimace a little bit on the mound, and they’re not going to take any chances.”

Ryan was also extremely critical of Major League Baseball's 15-second pitch clock contributing to his injury saying it “definitely makes you speed up a lot” and “starts to take a toll” with only 15 seconds between throws.

Ryan entered Saturday with a 1.72 ERA in his first three big-league outings. He had a 2.22 ERA in eight minor league starts over three different levels in 2024, while the Dodgers limited his usage in the minors to 49 appearances (45 starts) over three seasons.

As hard as the Dodgers tried to prevent Ryan from injured his arm, the dreaded Tommy John prognosis came anyway.

“It’s been challenging,” Roberts said. “Personally, I feel for each guy, because it’s their careers and I know how hard it is. Most recently with River and how disappointed he is, but it’s one of those things that there’s some sensitivity in the sense of feeling it, but also making the guys available feel like they’re the best options.

"I think they’ve done a really good job of picking up the pieces, and the guys who are available are giving us the best chance to win.”