Where River Ryan and Gavin Stone figure in the Dodgers' crowded pitching plans

"(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) In the backfields of Camelback Ranch, the Dodgers' River Ryan and Blake Snell stayed behind to field grounders and practice throws to second. After a few dropped balls by Ryan during his transition, the two-time Cy Young winner talked it over at the mound with the young pitcher. It was a typical scene you'd see in the early days of spring training, the extra work to dial in fundamentals. But for the 27-year-old Ryan, it's part of the journey in his return from Tommy John surgery."

"Ryan got a taste of the majors in July 2024, making his debut against the San Francisco Giants with 5 ⅓ innings and allowing an unearned run. He showed promise with his high-velocity fastball and swing-and-miss slider/curveball combination. But during his fourth start on Aug. 10 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he exited the game in the fifth inning with what would be diagnosed as a torn UCL - his season done after pitching 20 ⅓ innings with 18 strikeouts and a 1.33 ERA."

""Have a healthy season," he said. "I definitely want to obviously pitch in the big leagues, make the team out of camp.""

"But where he and Gavin Stone - another hurler returning from major surgery - fits in remains a question. Entering the season, the back-to-back World Series champions have a deep starting rotation, even accounting for a possible six-man rotation, which manager Dave Roberts hinted at during the offseason as a way to give starters extra rest over a long season. The rotation already projects to feature Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Snell and Roki Sasaki. Snell announced last month at DodgerFest he would slowly ramp up his arm, but he still has his eyes set on being ready for opening day."

River Ryan is recovering from Tommy John surgery and using spring training to rebuild fundamentals and command. He debuted in July 2024, throwing 5 1/3 innings with an unearned run and showcasing a high-velocity fastball and swing-and-miss breaking pitches. A torn UCL in August ended his 2024 season after 20 1/3 innings, 18 strikeouts and a 1.33 ERA. At 27, his primary goals are staying healthy, making the big-league roster and pitching in the majors. The Dodgers project a deep rotation including Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki, intensifying competition for rotation spots.

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