Most Likely Dodgers Prospect to Be Called Up After the All-Star Break

The Dodgers will likely call up this player to be a major contributor in the second half.

Feb 25, 2026; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher River Ryan (77) throws in the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Los Angeles Dodgers currently have the best record in baseball at the All-Star break, but there are still ways for this roster to get even better.

With the trade deadline coming up, the front office will have the opportunity to add more talent to the team. But the Dodgers also have a loaded farm system, filled with guys ready to contribute right away.

Los Angeles will likely make some call-ups before the year is done, even just to help manage the workloads for some of the veteran players. The prospect who is most likely to be called up before the season ends is starting pitcher River Ryan.

Ryan has been one of the biggest storylines within the Dodgers organization this season, with the right-hander pitching well in his return from Tommy John surgery last year.

So far this year, Ryan has recorded an ERA of 4.46 over 36.1 innings while striking out 43 batters. Ryan did suffer a hamstring injury —his second of the season — toward the end of June, and he's been recovering ever since.

The team has taken a cautious approach with Ryan's injury, especially since he just came back from surgery. But the Dodgers don't believe that Ryan's injury is overly serious.

“Especially with our young pitchers, as much patience as we can exercise when they’re coming back from a major surgery, the better,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said to The Athletic. “The level of intensity is different at the major league level than it is in the minor leagues.”

The Dodgers are expecting him back fairly soon, and if he can perform well at Triple-A again, the team could finally call him up this year. Many were expecting Los Angeles to bring Ryan to the big leagues after both Tyler Glasnow (back) and Blake Snell (elbow) went down with injuries, but it didn't happen.

The front office remained firm on its decision to keep the right-hander in the minor leagues, at least for now. Friedman has discussed the plan to bring Ryan to the big leagues once healthy, hinting that the team wants to make sure he stays in the majors after being called up.

“Obviously [Ryan] is incredibly talented, and he’s going to be a big part of what we do going forward,” Friedman said to The Athletic. “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.”

Ryan has performed at the major league level before, getting four starts for the Dodgers in 2024 before suffering his elbow injury. During this limited time, the right-hander registered an ERA of 1.33, making it clear he belongs at the big league level.

For now, Ryan will aim to get over the hamstring injury, and the team could then look to call him up in August or September. Ryan is currently ranked as the team's No. 6 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and he is the top pitching prospect in the organization.

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