The never-ending injury woes of the Los Angeles Dodgers continue as they placed pitcher River Ryan on the injured list with a UCL strain. The star prospect had started Saturday's victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-1 but left the game in the middle of the fifth inning due to right forearm tightness. After testing and deliberation with medical staff, he has decided to undergo Tommy John surgery, effectively sidelining him for the rest of the season until part of 2025. Asked about it, Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes was as perplexed as anybody.
“We're looking into it and trying to figure it out,” Gomes said, per Bill Plunkett on X, formerly Twitter. “Is there an acute thing? Is there are an over-arching issue to get at? Right now, I wish I had more answers but we continue to dig…” Afterward, he also added, “We're seeing it across the industry. We feel it more acutely when it happens to us. But I don't think this is all that unique.”
Dodgers pitcher injuries
Amid Brandon Gomes' comments, the Dodgers own the league-leading record for most number of days and WAR lost to injuries this season, per the same Plunkett report. Just look at this series of Dodgers pitcher injuries.
Clayton Kershaw has returned after undergoing shoulder surgery last November, the first of his career. Meanwhile, Walker Buehler had two Tommy John surgeries and a repair to his flexor tendon in 2022. After coming back in May, he suffered hip inflammation that sidelined him for eight weeks.
Bobby Miller also sustained shoulder inflammation that put him on the injured list for more than two months. However, when he returned, he played so badly that the Dodgers optioned him to Triple-A after starting Game 2 of last season's playoffs.
New acquisition Yoshinobu Yamamoto strained his right rotator cuff in June which has taken him out of action since. Yamamoto had just started the first season of his 12-year contract, which is the largest contract signed by a pitcher. The team plans to activate him in September after a rehab assignment and throwing to hitters in a simulated game.
Likewise, Tommy Gonsolin also had Tommy John surgery last year that put him out for the entirety of 2024. After the Pirates game, River Ryan became the 11th Dodgers pitcher to go down this year.
Still, despite these injuries, the Dodgers have gone on a five-game winning streak after defeating the Milwaukee Brewers, 7-2, on Tuesday. With the win, they've solidified their hold on the top spot of the National League West, with a record of 71-49. They are now three games ahead of their closest competitors, the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres, who are tied at 68-53. Now, the Dodgers will need all hands on deck if they want to go all the way in the playoffs.
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