Dodgers Notes: Pitcher to IL With Elbow Injury, Unfortunate Will Smith Update, River Ryan Decision Explained

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The Los Angeles Dodgers lost to the Baltimore Orioles, 3-2, on Saturday night, dropping to 49-28 on the year.
The Dodgers offense was shut down through eight innings before Shohei Ohtani led off the ninth with a home run to bring them within two. Then, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts reached, and a dropped fly ball in right field gave LA a chance to win the game.
Unfortunately, Kyle Tucker struck out swinging on three pitches below the zone (after taking a first pitch ball), and Baltimore evened up the series.
Before the game, the Dodgers surprisingly placed right-handed pitcher Blake Treinen on the injured list with right elbow inflammation and recalled right-hander Chayce McDermott.
Manager Dave Roberts said after the game that Treinen reported a lack of range of motion Saturday morning and underwent imaging. He said Treinen will be down for "a minute."
In other news, the Dodgers will be without All-Star catcher Will Smith for longer than expected as he underwent additional testing on his neck.
Smith was initially expected to avoid the IL, and has now missed over two weeks with the lingering injury.
“[Smith] had a scan recently and the results [were] sort of fine, nothing really bad,” Roberts said. “He feels okay, not great. We’re just trying to make sure that we don’t have a setback when he comes back so I think that’s kind of the pause.”
Finally, the Dodgers have continued to keep top pitching prospect River Ryan in Triple-A despite him being more than ready to return to the MLB level. President of baseball operations explained the reasoning behind the decision.
“Obviously [Ryan] is incredibly talented, and he’s going to be a big part of what we do going forward,” Friedman said. “But we’ve seen it with a lot of our young guys coming back from major surgery; it’s tough. And as much as we can ease that process along to have him in as good a spot to not only help us at the major-league level, but also be a very strong option for us in October, the better.”
Here’s more information on these stories and all the latest Dodgers news (click the headline for the full article):
Dodgers' Will Smith Undergoes Additional Tests as Injury Concern Grows
Andrew Friedman Reveals Why Dodgers Are Holding River Ryan Back
Dodgers' Dave Roberts Reveals Where Dalton Rushing Needs to Grow
Walker Buehler Opens Up on Difficult End to Dodgers Tenure
Dave Roberts Reacts to Ex-Top Prospect Breaking Out After Trade From Dodgers
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Makes Major Personal Announcement
Dodgers Star Plans to Fight MLB's Attempt to Implement Salary Cap
Dodgers Lineup vs Orioles: Shohei Ohtani Status Revealed After Missing Friday's Game
Dodgers Tweets of the Day
Shohei Ohtani hit a home run in his first game back since the birth of his second child.
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) June 21, 2026
It’s his 16th of the year. pic.twitter.com/FdnMUbpoKr
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman revealed why the team isn't calling up River Ryan yet despite his Triple-A dominance👀⬇️ pic.twitter.com/lfu1uWzSYk
— Dodgers On SI (@DodgersOnSI) June 20, 2026
4x WNBA All-Star.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 21, 2026
2x WNBA Champ.
2x Olympic Gold Medalist.
Welcome, Kelsey Plum! pic.twitter.com/kLy42Nw4Qe
The Orioles gave the Dodgers a chance to win in the 9th with a bad error.
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) June 21, 2026
Kyle Tucker needed a hit to tie the game. He swung at three splitters below the zone to end it.
The Dodgers and Orioles will play for the series on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/fyB95cStos
Dave Roberts addressed the former Dodgers top prospect breaking out AFTER being traded away from LA👀⬇️ pic.twitter.com/uJgOCVO6Se
— Dodgers On SI (@DodgersOnSI) June 20, 2026
Can you dig it? Take it away, Shaq! pic.twitter.com/wNsOT4qg2c
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 21, 2026
The Dodgers recalled RHP Chayce McDermott and placed RHP Blake Treinen on the injured list with right elbow inflammation.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 21, 2026
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Noah Camras graduated from the University of Southern California in 2022 with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in sports media studies. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and has extensively covered Southern California sports in his career. Noah is the publisher of Dodgers on SI after contributing as a writer and editor over the last three years.
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