Overview
- River Ryan threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts for Triple-A Toledo on Sept. 9 and averaged about 97 mph on his fastball, giving the Tigers a clean first outing to evaluate.
- He had been activated from the 7-day injured list after a pre-trade hamstring strain and saw his originally scheduled Sept. 8 debut pushed to Sept. 9 because of rain.
- The Tigers treated the appearance as a limited build-up, with manager A.J. Hinch saying Ryan would likely pitch three innings or fewer as the club checks workload and recovery after Tommy John surgery.
- Ryan is one of three prospects Detroit received for Tarik Skubal, and his short-term progress will factor into how the trade is judged as teammates Zyhir Hope and Brady Smith also continue their climbs.
- Detroit has not set a promotion timetable but has left open the possibility of a late-season big-league look, and the team will use additional minor-league starts to test velocity sustainability, secondary pitches and recovery between outings.