River Ryan’s first start for the Detroit Tigers came with a little extra edge.
The right-hander, who arrived from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a blockbuster deal just before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, took the mound Monday and looked sharp right away. In his Tigers debut, Ryan worked three scoreless innings against the Washington Nationals and punched out three.
For Ryan, the move wasn’t his first time navigating a change of scenery. He had been with the Dodgers since the 2022 season, after Los Angeles acquired him from the San Diego Padres, and he said that experience helped him settle in quickly.
“I think since I’ve been through the trading process before, I kind of knew what to expect,” Ryan said. “Transitioning over to another team, meeting all new people, becoming acquainted with everybody. That was pretty easy because I’ve been through it before and I had a reference."
But Ryan also made it clear that not every organization handled the move the same way. He took a subtle shot at his former club while praising the Tigers for how they managed his injury recovery.
“I think the transition, as far as being traded on the injured list and then switching to a whole other organization and continuing through that process, I think Detroit made it really easy," Ryan said. "I think it was definitely a lot more hands-on with the Detroit organization. I feel like there was a lot more care involved, which was fantastic.”
Ryan’s path to that debut has been a long one. He started the year in the Dodgers’ system, remained in Triple-A after spring training, and then was sidelined by a hamstring injury. After the trade, he spent the first month and a half with Detroit rehabbing before finally getting his first shot with the big-league club.
His first outing in a Tigers uniform stood in contrast to what came before it in Toledo. Before Monday, Ryan had made just two appearances for Triple-A Toledo in the International League, covering 4.2 innings. In that span, he allowed seven hits, struck out four, and gave up two earned runs.
The Tigers are getting a pitcher who has already shown he can miss bats at the major-league level. Ryan debuted for the Dodgers in 2024 and appeared four times that season, posting a 1.33 ERA over 20.1 innings with 18 strikeouts. His elbow injury ended that run, and Tommy John surgery wiped out his entire 2025 season before he returned in spring training in 2026.
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