Latest River Ryan injury gives Phillies, more a decisive postseason edge

Whenever you see a pitcher's arm seemingly go numb after throwing a pitch, the very first thought in any pitcher's mind is the elbow and the UCL. For the Los Angeles Dodgers and top pitching prospect, River Ryan, this was the exact scenario the last time Ryan took the mound.

Ryan exited the game in his most recent start after the pitch below resulted in a UCL sprain:

The initial reports indicated that the Dodgers were hopeful that he could rest and rehab the injury, but just days later, it was announced that Ryan will undergo the full Tommy John surgery to reconstruct the ligament in his right elbow.

This surgery comes with a 12–to-18 month recovery timetable that will very likely cause him to miss the rest of this season and all of 2025. The rest and recovery method would have had him ready for the beginning of 2025, but it comes with risk as seen in the case of Andrew Painter. Painter delayed surgery for months and never quite recovered resulting in surgery months after the initial injury.

The Dodgers and Ryan avoid this mistake and opt for surgery on the young elbow sooner rather than later.

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River Ryan injury: What does this mean for the NL Pennant race?

Baseball is a business, after all. So an injury like this, as unfortunate as it is, has a ripple effect on the rest of the National League.

This injury opens the door for the struggling Philadelphia Phillies to run away with the National League's one seed. Philadelphia has gone 4-6 over their last 10, but the talent on their roster is still very real.

Judging by the way Ryan was throwing and the injury status of the Dodgers rotation, he was set to be one of Los Angeles' top postseason starters. The righty was just getting better and better as the starts went by.

This now gives the Phillies an even more decisive edge in pitching in the NL. Obviously they don't have a top two like Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani, but overall, the Phillies look like a more complete team. An injury like this makes that even more apparent.

There's a chance that the Dodgers are trotting out a starter in the postseason that they don't have complete faith in. This won't be the case for the Phillies as they have multiple All-Star arms.

It'll be interesting to see which team can win the rest of the season and secure the one seed in the National League.