MILWAUKEE – Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander River Ryan will undergo Tommy John surgery for the elbow injury he suffered Saturday in his fourth major league start.
The Dodgers announced Tuesday that Ryan will have ligament replacement surgery next week. The team had already announced that Ryan would miss the rest of the season. The surgery will also likely force him to miss most, if not all, of 2025.
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Disappointment for promising young pitcher
“We still had hope,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts before Tuesday’s game in Milwaukee. “But unfortunately he needs surgery.”
“But I think even talking to River, he’s been through a lot and knows how to handle it mentally,” Roberts said. “He’s going to miss being around the guys. But they’ve got this surgery pretty well under control and we expect a full recovery. It’s just really disappointing.”
Ryan, 25, went 1-0 with a 1.33 ERA in four appearances for Los Angeles this season. He was 0-0 with a 2.22 ERA in eight minor league appearances.
After the Dodgers’ 4-1 win at Pittsburgh on Saturday, Ryan said he felt tightness in his forearm in the third inning. He was taken out of the game in the fifth inning.
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Buehler’s return offers a ray of hope
Right-hander Walker Buehler, who has been on the injured list since June 19 due to inflammation of his right hip, is expected to be activated and start on Wednesday against the Brewers.
“We have Walker tomorrow and Jack (Flaherty) is going to the day game (Thursday),” Roberts said.
Buehler, 1-4 with a 5.84 ERA in eight starts this season with the Dodgers, made three rehab starts with Triple-A Oklahoma City while on the injured list. In his last minor league start, Buehler allowed one run on one hit in 5 1/3 innings, striking out five and walking three.
Buehler missed the entire 2023 major league season while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery. Before returning to the team in early May of this season, he last pitched for the Dodgers on June 10, 2022 against the Giants.
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Dodgers remain competitive despite injuries
Despite a number of injuries, especially among pitchers, the Dodgers entered Tuesday with a score of 70-49, tied with Baltimore and Cleveland for the best record in the major leagues.
