Dodgers right-hander River Ryan to have Tommy John surgery

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander River Ryan will require Tommy John surgery for the elbow injury that he suffered Saturday while making his fourth major league start.

The Dodgers announced Tuesday that Ryan would have the ligament-replacement operation next week. The team had already said Ryan would miss the rest of this season. The surgery will likely force him to miss most if not all of 2025, as well.

“We were holding out hope,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said prior to Tuesday’s game in Milwaukee. “But unfortunately, he’s got to get the surgery.

“But I think, even when you talk to River, he’s been through trials and knows how to handle it mentally,” Roberts said. “He’s going to miss being with the guys. But this is surgery that they’ve got a pretty good handle on it, and so we expect a full recovery. It’s just really disappointing.”

The 25-year-old Ryan went 1-0 with a 1.33 ERA in four starts for Los Angeles this season. He was 0-0 with a 2.22 ERA in eight minor league starts.

After the Dodgers’ 4-1 victory at Pittsburgh on Saturday, Ryan said he started to feel tightness in his forearm in the third inning. He was removed from the game in the fifth.

Right-hander Walker Buehler, who’s been on the injured list since June 19 with right hip inflammation, is scheduled to be activated and start Wednesday against the Brewers.

“We’ve got Walker tomorrow and Jack (Flaherty) is going on the day game (Thursday),” Roberts said.

Buehler, 1-4 with a 5.84 ERA in eight starts this season with the Dodgers, made three rehab starts at Triple-A Oklahoma City during this stint on the injured list. In his most recent minor league start, Buehler allowed one run on one hit in 5 1/3 innings, striking out five and walking three.

Buehler missed all of the 2023 major league season recovering from his second Tommy John surgery. Prior to being activated in early May this season, he last pitched for the Dodgers on June 10, 2022, against the Giants.

Despite a rash of injuries, especially to the pitching staff, the Dodgers entered Tuesday tied with Baltimore and Cleveland at 70-49 for the best record in the majors.