| River Ryan | |
| Team: | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Number: | 77 |
| Position: | Pitcher |
| Birth Date: | 17 August 1998 |
| Birth Place: | Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
| Debutleague: | MLB |
| Debutdate: | July 22 |
| Debutyear: | 2024 |
| Debutteam: | Los Angeles Dodgers |
| Statleague: | MLB |
| Statyear: | 2024 season |
| Stat1label: | Win–loss record |
| Stat1value: | 1–0 |
| Stat2label: | Earned run average |
| Stat2value: | 1.33 |
| Stat3label: | Strikeouts |
| Stat3value: | 18 |
| Teams: |
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River Jason Ryan (born August 17, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Ryan attended North Mecklenburg High School in Huntersville, North Carolina.[1] He enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and played college baseball for the UNC Pembroke Braves for four seasons as a two-way player.[2]
The San Diego Padres selected Ryan in the 11th round, with the 340th overall pick, of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft.[3] After signing with the team he was assigned to the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Padres, where he played in 12 games as a position player and slashed .308/.349/.436.[2]
The Padres traded Ryan to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Matt Beaty on March 28, 2022.[4] The Dodgers had him focus solely on pitching.[5] Ryan split the 2022 season between the Low-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and the High-A Great Lakes Loons and went 2–4 with a 2.45 ERA and 70 strikeouts in innings pitched.[6] In 2023 he began with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers and was promoted to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, pitching in a combined 26 games for a 1–7 record, 4.40 ERA and 110 strikeouts in innings.[2]
Ryan began 2024 on the minor league injured list after suffering from shoulder fatigue in spring training and didn't appear in a game until making a couple of rehab appearances in the Arizona Complex League and with the Quakes in June.[7] [2] After five starts for Oklahoma City, the Dodgers purchased his contract, added him to the 40-man roster and called him up to the major leagues to make his MLB debut on July 22 as the starting pitcher against the San Francisco Giants.[8] Ryan pitched innings in his debut, allowing only one unearned run while striking out two batters (Tyler Fitzgerald was the first).[9] On July 28, Ryan picked up his first major league win against the Houston Astros.[10] He made four starts for the Dodgers, allowing three earned runs in innings with 18 strikeouts.[11] He left a game on August 10 with an elbow injury, later diagnosed as a UCL strain, which shut him down for the rest of the season.[12] [13] On August 12, it was announced that Ryan would require Tommy John surgery, ruling him out for a large portion of the 2025 season as well.[14]
Ryan's older brother, Ryder, is also a baseball player, currently with the Pittsburgh Pirates.[1]