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The Dodgers are continuing to build up right-hander River Ryan in the minor leagues as the organization prepares him for a future opportunity in the big league rotation, per MLB.com staff. Ryan, the club’s No. 6 prospect, is waiting for his chance to crack a loaded Dodgers pitching staff — and the team is being deliberate about how they manage his workload in the meantime.

Ryan’s path to this point has been anything but conventional. Originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 11th round of the 2019 draft out of UNC Pembroke, he was traded to the Dodgers in 2021 as part of the deal that sent reliever Alex Vesia the other direction (well, brought Vesia in — Ryan was the piece going to LA’s system in a separate move). He quickly emerged as one of the more intriguing arms in the farm system, flashing a mid-90s fastball with a sharp slider that generates swings and misses at an impressive clip. Tommy John surgery cost him significant development time, but he made his MLB debut in 2024 and showed flashes of what makes him so highly regarded — a power arsenal with the kind of stuff that plays in high-leverage situations and, eventually, as a starter.

The 26-year-old’s 2024 debut was a small sample but an encouraging one. He demonstrated the ability to miss bats at the highest level and showed the competitiveness the Dodgers value in their pitching development pipeline. His recovery from the elbow surgery and subsequent buildup has been a process the organization has handled carefully, prioritizing long-term health over short-term need. That patience is a hallmark of how Andrew Friedman’s front office operates — they’ve seen too many young arms pushed too fast to risk it with a pitcher they clearly believe has a future in their rotation.

Building Ryan up now makes a lot of sense given the current state of the Dodgers’ pitching depth. We’ve already seen Tyler Glasnow‘s back recovery stall, Brusdar Graterol is facing a potential season-ending absence after back surgery, and the rotation depth is going to be tested over the course of a long season. Ryan doesn’t need to be the answer tomorrow, but having him stretched out and ready to step in when the inevitable next injury or workload management decision hits is smart planning. (And with this pitching staff’s injury history, that moment will come.)

I like that the Dodgers aren’t rushing this. Ryan has real stuff — the fastball-slider combination is legitimate, and when he’s commanding both pitches, he can dominate. The key for him has always been staying healthy and building the stamina to go deep into games. If they get him to a point where he’s consistently throwing five or six innings in Triple-A with his stuff intact, he becomes one of the more valuable depth pieces in all of baseball. Not every prospect needs to arrive with a press conference. Sometimes the best call-ups are the ones where the player has been so thoroughly prepared that the transition feels seamless. That’s what the Dodgers are aiming for with Ryan, and given how they’ve developed arms in the past, I trust the process here.

Source(s): Staff (MLB.com) | First reported: June 1, 2026 3:25 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers