Now healthy, River Ryan 'just felt free and had fun' in Tigers debut

River Ryan, the newest addition to the Detroit Tigers, made an impressive first appearance in Major League Baseball on Monday, Sept. 21. The right-hander spent extra time at Comerica Park meeting his new teammates and coaches before taking to the mound. After meeting with pitching coach Chris Fetter and catcher Dillon Dingler, Ryan expressed his excitement, saying, "It kind of felt like everything I have been through this year, kind of was all coming to fruition. I just felt free and had fun."

Ryan, 28, had been waiting over two years to return to MLB after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2024. Prior to that, he pitched 20⅓ innings for the Dodgers in 2024 before a lengthy injury history kept him out of games in 2025. In his first start, Ryan struck out the first batter he faced with a 92 mph changeup, faced 12 hitters over three innings, and struck out three batters with two hits and one walk.

Tigers manager A.J. Hinch praised Ryan's performance, saying, "It was a lot to try to get in today, get to know everybody or at least try to remember a face or a name and where to go in this building. I thought he handled all of that extraordinarily well. And then he flashed all of the stuff that makes us excited about him."

Ryan, who anticipated he could move at the deadline due to the Dodgers' pitching depth, was traded to the Tigers while his family was putting their child to bed. He expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to return to a big-league mound and develop as a starter in Detroit, stating, "There is opportunity, in the sense of if I don't do as hot out there, I'll have the freedom to work on things at the big-league level." Ryan's positive first impression has set the stage for a promising season ahead.