LA Dodgers GM Delivers Crucial Status Report on River Ryan and Gavin Stone’s Roles Moving Forward.NL
The Los Angeles Dodgers had their depth tested in 2025, with injuries hitting both the rotation and bullpen hard early in the season. But there’s some light at the end of the tunnel heading into 2026-two promising arms, River Ryan and Gavin Stone, are expected to be full-go for spring training after missing all of last year recovering from surgery.
“We expect them to have a pretty normal year, whatever a normal year is coming off surgery,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said. And that’s encouraging news for a team that could use some reinforcements, especially in the bullpen.
Let’s start with River Ryan. The right-hander made his big league debut in 2024 and showed flashes of real potential before injuries cut his season short.
In just four starts, he posted a sparkling 1.33 ERA over 20.1 innings, giving up only three earned runs. Small sample size?
Sure. But the stuff was there-command, poise, and the kind of mound presence that makes you take notice.
The Dodgers didn’t get to see much of him, but what they did see was enough to believe he can be a real contributor when healthy.
Gavin Stone’s path has been a little longer and more winding. He first broke into the majors in 2023, but the learning curve was steep.
He gave up 31 runs in 31 innings that year, ending with a 9.00 ERA. Not exactly the debut he or the Dodgers were hoping for.
But to his credit, Stone bounced back in a big way in 2024. He started 25 games and settled into a groove, posting a 3.53 ERA.
That’s a solid step forward, especially considering he threw his first complete game shutout that June against the White Sox. Unfortunately, his season also ended on the injured list, keeping him out of the Dodgers’ postseason run.
Now, with the Dodgers’ rotation already stacked heading into 2026-featuring Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, and Emmet Sheehan-there’s no immediate pressure to rush Ryan or Stone back into starting roles. But that doesn’t mean they won’t be valuable. In fact, the bullpen could be exactly where they’re needed most.
The Dodgers’ relief corps struggled down the stretch in 2025, with inconsistency becoming a real issue in the final months. That’s where guys like Ryan and Stone could make a difference. Both have starter experience, which makes them ideal candidates for long relief roles or spot starts-flexible arms who can bridge the gap when the bullpen is stretched or the rotation needs a breather.
It’s a luxury for any team to have that kind of depth, and for the Dodgers, it could be the difference between another deep playoff run and an early exit. If Ryan can pick up where he left off, and if Stone continues the trajectory he was on before the injury, the Dodgers won’t just be deep-they’ll be dangerous.
Getting both pitchers back healthy doesn’t just patch a hole-it adds real upside to a team that’s already loaded. And for a club with championship aspirations, that kind of pitching depth isn’t just nice to have. It’s essential.
