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The Detroit Tigers did not acquire River Ryan in the Tarik Skubal trade because they desperately needed two innings from him in September.
They acquired him because they believe he could eventually become part of their rotation.
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Detroit may not have to wait until 2027 to get its first look.
Ryan finally made his Tigers organizational debut Wednesday for Triple-A Toledo, tossing two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. He threw 17 of 23 pitches for strikes, averaged 97 mph with his fastball and reached 98. His slider averaged 91.7 mph, giving Detroit its first real glimpse at the arsenal it was willing to wait on after acquiring an injured pitcher at the deadline.
“Obviously we’re excited to get him active in the organization and then build him up accordingly,” A.J. Hinch said Wednesday.
The more interesting part is what could happen after that buildup.
Detroit Could Get an Early Look at a Major Trade Piece
The Tigers have left open the possibility of Ryan pitching in Detroit before the regular season ends.
That matters because Ryan wasn’t some secondary throw-in when Detroit dealt Tarik Skubal to Los Angeles in the blockbuster deadline trade. The Tigers received Ryan, outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-hander Brady Smith in a deal that will be judged largely by whether Detroit turned an established ace into multiple long-term contributors.
Ryan entered Detroit’s system as its No. 4 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 66 overall prospect.
He also came with a giant medical asterisk.
Ryan underwent Tommy John surgery in August 2024 after producing a 1.33 ERA over four Major League starts for the Dodgers. He threw only 20⅓ innings, so nobody should mistake that tiny sample for proof that Detroit acquired a future frontline starter. It did show that Ryan has already handled Major League hitters successfully when healthy.
Detroit knew about his hamstring injury when it made the Skubal trade and later [mapped out assignments for the three prospects it acquired], with Ryan eventually ticketed for Toledo once healthy enough to pitch.
A September Debut Would Be About 2027
There is a temptation whenever a highly regarded prospect gets close to Detroit to immediately turn the conversation into production.
How many starts can he make? Where does he fit? Can he dominate immediately?
That misses the larger point with Ryan.
Detroit does not need him to prove in two or three September appearances that he belongs permanently in the rotation. It needs information.
Can his fastball velocity hold as his workload increases? Does the slider continue to miss bats against Major League hitters? Can he recover normally between outings after Tommy John surgery and the hamstring issue? Does the stuff that looked so intriguing in Los Angeles still look the same two years later?
Those answers would give Detroit something valuable before an offseason in which Jackson Jobe, Troy Melton, Keider Montero, Drew Anderson and others will factor into a crowded rotation picture.
Ryan’s first Toledo appearance answered only the smallest version of the question.
He is healthy enough to pitch again, and the stuff is still very much there.
If the next few outings look similar, Detroit may decide there is little reason to wait until spring training to see what happens when River Ryan faces Major League hitters again.