After veteran left-hander James Paxton was designated for an assignment, the next man up was the Los Angeles Dodgers’ no. 4 prospect River Ryan, who did a great job of putting up a promising game in his debut to help the club secure a 3-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants in front of their home crowd at the Dodger Stadium last Monday.

Many thought that moving Paxton to an assignment was a poor decision for the club, with the veteran star standing with an 8-2 record to go along with a 4.43 ERA this season and is one of just two starting pitchers in the team who has enjoyed a promising set of performances in the campaign. With many fans thinking that the Dodgers will need a boost in their pitching side before the July 30 Trade Deadline, the club opted to pull off a card that they did not expect.

Only River Ryan was the remaining top prospect that the team had in its reserve, and it seemed right that he was given a chance to take his place on the plate with impressive strides as he led the Dodgers to a surprise victory, much to the fans’ delight.

An Electric Debut for Ryan

River Ryan allowed just one run in 5 1/3 innings of work to lead the squad to a clear victory in the game. He missed the first few months of the 2024 season as he recovered from a right shoulder injury. In his return, the right-hander did not waste any time at all in showing what he has improved in his game during his stay in the Minors. He came up with a complete performance in the win, and fans definitely praised the young player’s readiness in the game.

Pulling off a high 90s four-seam fastball along with a couple of sliders, changeups, and a curveball, Ryan showed off his bag in the game. He even delivered a strikeout – the first of his career – against Tyler Fitzgerald in the third inning thanks to a 97-mph heater that was on point right in the outside corner.

Ryan was given a standing ovation in his debut with the Dodgers. His time spent in Oklahoma City saw him average 98.5 mph on his two-seam fastball and 98.1 mph on his four-seamer.

High Praises for Ryan

Ryan was initially a two-way player for UNC Pembroke and was later drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 11th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. In that partial year as a pro, Ryan was batting .308/.349/.436 in 12 games as a designated hitter. The Dodgers knew what they were getting in Ryan, and manager Dave Roberts was extremely confident in calling him up prior to the game.

“Once he comes up, when he comes up, great compete, big stuff, crazy athlete. He won’t scare off, a little bit like Wrobleski,” Roberts said. “When that happens, it’s gonna be a lot of fun.”

The Dodgers landed Ryan by the end of the Spring Training in 2022, trading him for Matt Beaty. According to experts, Ryan could well be a no. 2 starter and is expected to make waves in the majors considering the fact that they are indeed in need of a major upgrade on the pitching side, which makes a lot of sense to use Ryan in the long run.