River Ryan

River Jason Ryan

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 2", Weight 195 lb.
• School University of North Carolina at Pembroke
• High School North Mecklenburg High School
• Debut July 22, 2024

• Born August 17, 1998 in Charlotte, NC USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher River Ryan made his major league debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the San Francisco Giants on July 22, 2024. He pitched 5 1/3 innings, giving up just one unearned run on four hits, but was not involved in the decision as L.A. won the game, 3-2. In order to allow him to make that start, the Dodgers made the surprise move of having veteran James Paxton, who was 8-2 in 18 starts, designated for assignment before the game.

Ryan was originally drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 11th round of the 2021 amateur draft, out of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where he was mainly a second baseman, hitting .422 and .349 his last two seasons there. He also pitched a little, and in 2021 was 4-1, 3.66 in 17 games. He only stayed briefly in the Padres, system, hitting .308 in 12 games for the ACL Padres in 2021. On March 28, 2022, the Padres traded him to the Dodgers in return for 1B Matt Beaty, and the Dodgers immediately decided to convert him into a full-time pitcher. He went 2-4, 2.45 in 15 games (13 starts) between the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and Great Lakes Loons that season. In 2023, even though his won/loss record was poor, he played in both AA and AAA, with the Tulsa Drillers and Oklahoma City Dodgers respectively, finishing at 1-7, 3.80 in 26 games with 110 strikeouts in 104 1/3 innings. In 2024, due to a right shoulder injury, he had made only 8 starts in the minors before being called up to L.A., with no decisions and an ERA of 2.22 in just 24 1/3 innings. That gave him a grand total of 3 wins in the minors for his career, whereas the man he replaced in the Dodgers' rotation had recorded more than twice as much in just half a season - emphasizing how much of a bold decision it was to bring him up to start for a contending team at that point.

He is the brother of pitcher Ryder Ryan. His father was his high school coach.

Further Reading

• Juan Toribio: "LA River flows: Ryan (No. 4 prospect) shines in debut: Teoscar Hernández drives in all three runs as Dodgers hold off Giants", mlb.com, July 23, 2024. [1]

Related Sites

• River Ryan on mlb.com
• BR Register page
• UNC Pembroke bio