River Ryan: Everything you need to know

Ryan was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Oklahoma City on April 17 due to a hamstring injury, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports. The injury is considered minor, though it's not clear when exactly Ryan might be ready to rejoin the Oklahoma City rotation. Following a strong Cactus League showing, Ryan has posted a 5.14 ERA and 10:2 K:BB over seven frames in his first two starts with OKC this season. The 27-year-old missed the entire 2025 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he's a good bet to help the Dodgers at some point this season, either in a rotation or bullpen capacity.

The Dodgers optioned Ryan to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday. Ryan spent the entire 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and entered spring training with an outside shot at making the Dodgers' Opening Day roster. He appeared in four Cactus League games for the Dodgers and posted a 1.86 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 12:4 K:BB across 9.2 innings. It was a strong camp for Ryan, but even with Blake Snell (shoulder) expected to start the season on the 15-day injured list, the Dodgers are being mindful of the former's workload and will ease him back in the minors first, per Jack Harris of the California Post. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Ryan in some major-league games in 2026.

Ryan has had a strong spring but is expected to begin the season in the minors, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports. Ryan's most recent spring outing was a four-inning start against Texas on Sunday, during which he allowed just one run and struck out five batters. The right-hander has posted an impressive 1.86 ERA with a 12:4 K:BB over 9.2 frames spanning four appearances this spring, and with Blake Snell (shoulder) slated to open the season on the IL, there had been some thought that Ryan could be a candidate for the open rotation spot. However, Chen surmises that Ryan will almost certainly begin the campaign in the minors due to an early schedule that includes three days off over the first 15 days of the season (which should reduce the need for a sixth starter) and the presence of Emmet Sheehan and Justin Wrobleski, both of whom have more experience as swingmen. It's also worth noting that Ryan missed all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, so while there's a good chance he'll get an opportunity with the big club at some point during the campaign, the Dodgers are likely to manage his workload carefully.