The Dodgers are facing yet another setback with their pitching staff.
During Saturday night’s game against the Pirates, River Ryan had to leave early due to forearm tightness. He pitched 4 2/3 innings and threw 56 pitches before being pulled out. Manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Ryan will be placed on the injured list and will undergo tests on Sunday.
Ryan mentioned he first felt discomfort in his forearm during the third inning but managed to ease it with a massage gun. However, by the fifth inning, the pain returned, and he was removed from the game after wincing . Earlier this season, Ryan missed two months because of a sore shoulder.
Dodgers’ Pitching Woes:
Forearm tightness can sometimes lead to serious elbow issues or even Tommy John surgery. The Dodgers already have several pitchers on the injured list, both in their main roster and among their prospects. The current state of their rotation is quite concerning:
1. Tyler Glasnow
2. Clayton Kershaw
3. Jack Flaherty
4. Gavin Stone
5. Landon Knack
6. Justin Wrobleski
Fans might think it’s really tough for the team right now with so many injuries piling up.
Bobby Miller, who shined as a rookie last year, also faced challenges this season with shoulder inflammation and an 8.07 ERA in seven major league starts before being sent down to Triple-A.
Ryan’s journey has been interesting; he’s a converted infielder who joined from the Padres in a minor trade for Matt Beaty in March 2022. This year, he has impressed with a 1.33 ERA in four MLB starts and is ranked as one of Dodgers’ top prospects by Baseball America.
Despite using 17 different starting pitchers this season—the most in baseball—the Dodgers hold a record of 68-49 and are second-best in the National League standings ! However, they’ve struggled recently with a 17-18 record over their last 35 games, causing their NL West lead to shrink from 8.5 games on July 23 to just 2.5 games as of Sunday.
What do you think about all these injuries? Can they still make it through?
