The Dodgers are continuing to develop their sixth-ranked farm prospect, Ryan, with a focus on the long-term future.

More than two weeks earlier, after Blake Snell landed on the injured list with a left elbow loose body, skipper Dave Roberts admitted that the likelihood of River Ryan stepping into the Dodgers' rotation in his place was "very minimal."

On the night of May 15, the Dodgers' six-man starting rotation was disrupted by Snell's injury, shrinking to five. Ryan was the only healthy starting pitcher remaining on the 40-man roster, and he happened to make his return from a right hamstring injury that same evening for Triple-A Oklahoma City. More importantly, this was just his first season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

"The priority is his developmental path," Roberts said at the time. "If not everyone agrees to speed things up, then it's pointless. It's not going to happen. It doesn't make sense. But if the training staff believes it's fine and won't harm him or his growth, then we can sit down and discuss it."

And that's exactly what happened—the Dodgers sought external help rather than accelerating Ryan's development. They acquired Eric Lauer from the Blue Jays, and in his debut against the Rockies last Wednesday, Lauer delivered an impressive performance, allowing just one run over six innings. Meanwhile, Ryan has been sharp in Triple-A, surrendering only two runs (one earned) over 15 innings across three starts since being activated from the minor league injured list.

Looking back to spring training, the Dodgers repeatedly emphasized the importance of building a solid foundation for this prospect, ranked sixth on MLB Pipeline, before bringing him back to the major league club. In his most recent start, Ryan threw a career-high six innings for the first time. But from Los Angeles' perspective, he still has a considerable way to go before he's fully ready.

"It was great to see him go six innings," said general manager Brandon Gomes. "He looked fantastic. The ball comes out of his hand with incredible power. I think we'll keep developing him and work to establish a good foundation before we consider having him do anything else."

So, what exactly does that "foundation" look like?

Ryan hasn't logged a lot of innings in his career. He set a personal best with 104.1 innings split between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A in 2023, but threw fewer than 50 innings in both 2022 and 2024, and missed the entire 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery. Pitching in the minors provides Ryan with a more controlled environment to readjust to the routine of starting every sixth day.

During his debut stint with the Dodgers in 2024, Ryan proved his capability at the major league level, posting a 1.33 ERA over four starts. The Dodgers expect him to shine at some point down the road with his impressive stuff, but given his career workload, his innings contribution this year may indeed be limited. The question then becomes whether it's more beneficial for a defending champion team to use those innings now or save them for deeper into the season.

"It's always a tough situation when players perform well. Obviously, I'm sure they think, 'Why can't I just do this in Los Angeles?'" Gomes said. "As a player, when you accomplish those things, you naturally see the situation clearly. I think one of Ryan's strengths—and something we try to tell our players—is that one advantage of being on this team is you get access to very high-quality resources; the small downside is that there are so many talented players here. So I think the key is 'keep your head down and keep performing.'"

Whenever conditions allow, the Dodgers prefer to take a long-term approach with their talent. In Ryan's case, letting him gradually adapt this season not only preserves his innings for the late-season push and playoffs, but also looks ahead, recognizing that he could be a key part of this team for many years to come.