Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander River Ryan will undergo Tommy John surgery next week following an elbow injury sustained during his fourth major league start on Saturday. The Dodgers announced on Tuesday that Ryan would miss the rest of this season, and the surgery is likely to sideline him for most, if not all, of the 2025 season as well.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed disappointment before Tuesday’s game in Milwaukee, noting that the team had hoped for a better outcome. “We were holding out hope,” Roberts said. “But unfortunately, he’s got to get the surgery. River has faced challenges before and knows how to handle them mentally, but he’ll miss being with the team. This surgery is well-understood, and we expect a full recovery. It’s just really disappointing.”
Ryan, 25, had a strong start to his major league career, going 1-0 with a 1.33 ERA in four starts for the Dodgers this season. In the minors, he posted a 2.22 ERA in eight starts. After the Dodgers’ 4-1 win against Pittsburgh on Saturday, Ryan mentioned feeling tightness in his forearm during the third inning and was pulled from the game in the fifth inning.
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Meanwhile, right-hander Walker Buehler, who has been on the injured list since June 19 with right hip inflammation, is set to return and start Wednesday against the Brewers. Buehler, who has a 1-4 record with a 5.84 ERA in eight starts this season, made three rehab appearances at Triple-A Oklahoma City. In his most recent start, he allowed one run on one hit over 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 his activation in early May this season, his last appearance for the Dodgers was on June 10, 2022, against the Giants.
