Tigers acquire River Ryan as part of Skubal trade

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Dodgers will send outfield prospect Zyhir Hope and right-handed pitching prospects River Ryan and Brady Smith. It was initially reported that Emmet Sheehan was included, but multiple outlets have confirmed he’s not headed to Detroit. Skubal is inarguably one of the best pitchers in baseball and has won back-to-back Cy Young Awards for the Tigers, and he joins Los Angeles with a 2.79 ERA and 116/14 K/BB in his 16 starts this year. The pending free agent will join the loaded Dodgers’ roster as the new ace, and obviously, fantasy managers have no reason to believe he won’t continue to pitch at an elite level now that he’s in Los Angeles rather than Detroit.

Ryan missed time earlier in the season due to an issue with the same hamstring and it flared up and caused him to miss his last start at Triple-A Oklahoma City. No word yet on how long he’ll be shelved for. There goes the glimmer of hope that fantasy managers had that Ryan may make a spot start next week with the Dodgers having seven games on the docket.

There’s zero urgency for Los Angeles to expedite Ryan’s timeline to the majors given their starting pitching depth, but the 27-year-old top prospect will begin to force the issue if he keeps pitching like this. He generated 15 swinging strikes and threw a staggering 67 of 87 pitches for strikes. There’s a path to a rotation spot with the Dodgers if recently acquired Eric Lauer doesn’t show anything in the next couple weeks.

Ryan threw 51 of his 84 pitches for strikes and averaged 97.8 mph on his four-seam fastball. He maintained that velocity for much of the game, falling to 96.6 mph by the fifth inning. He also induced 14 whiffs on 35 wings for a 40 percent whiff rate. He did only get one whiff on his slider, which is not ideal, but he had a 69 percent strike rate overall, and his fastball was simply dominant. The Dodgers will give Eric Lauer a start on Monday, but Ryan could push for a rotation spot if that Lauer start doesn’t go well.

Lauer is available to pitch out of the bullpen this week after being plucked off waivers from the Blue Jays over the weekend. He’ll jump into Los Angeles’ rotation at some point next week as a replacement for Blake Snell, who underwent NanoScope surgery on his left elbow this week. The 30-year-old lefty is a non-factor fantasy-wise but his arrival means intriguing pitching prospect River Ryan will remain in Triple-A.

Lauer will slot into the Dodgers’ six-man rotation after being acquired from the Blue Jays in a trade over the weekend. The 30-year-old lefty struggled to a bloated 6.69 ERA across 36 1/3 innings for Toronto earlier this season. He’s unlikely to carry any semblance of fantasy value unless Los Angeles’ pitching apparatus is able to unlock something to get him back on track. It’s a noteworthy development since he’ll take over Blake Snell’s rotation spot with prospect River Ryan likely staying in the minors.

Nothing official from the Dodgers after Snell landed on the injured list prior to Friday’s scheduled start against the Angels with an elbow injury. The 33-year-old southpaw spent the first seven weeks of the season working his way back from offseason shoulder issues. It’s worth noting that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed optimism that Snell would pitch again this season, but that’s hardly a lock. He can be safely dropped in shallow fantasy formats where roster spots are at a premium. It’ll likely be former top pitching prospect River Ryan taking his rotation spot next week.

Ryan hit triple digits six times and topped out at 100.9 mph in his first minor-league start since April 11. He averaged 98.6 mph on his four-seam fastball and generated nine swinging strikes during the 53-pitch outing. The fact that his fastball velocity is back to pre-Tommy John surgery levels is an extremely encouraging sign. The 27-year-old former top pitching prospect hasn’t toed the rubber in the big leagues since 2024. Blake Snell unexpectedly landing on the injured list, and facing a lengthy absence, makes him the logical choice to step into Los Angeles’ six-man rotation and gives him immediate fantasy appeal as a viable streaming option. He could potentially get the ball next Friday against the Brewers.

Ryan will be making his first start in the minors since April 11 when he suffered a hamstring injury. The 27-year-old top pitching prospect looked sharp in spring training coming off Tommy John surgery and figures to get a shot in Los Angeles’ rotation mix at some point later this summer.

It figures to be a brief IL stint for Ryan, who might be next in line if a spot opens up in the Dodgers rotation. He’s pitched just twice for Oklahoma City, giving up four earned runs and striking out 10 in seven innings.