The Los Angeles Dodgers have been hindered by injuries to their starting rotation dating back to last season. On top of that has come a string of poor performances, with Bobby Miller being the most recent to be in search of a reset.
Miller missed more than two months due to right shoulder inflammation and failed to get back on track once activated as he posted a 9.87 ERA in four starts since returning. The plan for Miller is to work with the Dodgers’ player development staff, aiming to address the shift in production.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been surprised by the need for starters after their depth was a projected strength to open the year. The injuries opened the door for young arms receiving their crack at pitching in the Majors.
Roberts recently named River Ryan, the Dodgers’ fourth-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, as the next starter in the conversation as a replacement for Miller, according to Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
In the meantime, Roberts said its possible top pitching prospect River Ryan could be called up to join the team’s big-league rotation — one that already features three other rookies currently in Gavin Stone, Landon Knack and Justin Wrobleski.
Ryan missed a bit of time to start the year but is back on the mound in Triple-A where he’s posted a 2.76 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and a .224 batting average allowed in 16.1 innings across five starts.
The right-hander was acquired from the San Diego Padres in 2022 in exchange for Matt Beaty. Since then, Ryan has emerged as a power arm in the Dodgers farm system with the upside of a frontend starting pitcher.
State of Dodgers starting rotation
Given the laundry list of starters on the injured list, the Dodgers are expected to be active on the trade market for frontend options.
If they don’t opt for the big ticket item in Garrett Crochet, there are a number of secondary arms with Jack Flaherty, Erick Fedde, Yusei Kikuchi and barring a rough few weeks, Nathan Eovaldi.
The Dodgers have an All-Star rotation on the IL, including Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dustin May, Walker Buehler, Toy Gonsolin and Emmet Sheehan. Without much positive from that group, their decision-making in regard to reinforcements like River Ryan should be more aggressive than not.
