Although Ryan was projected to be drafted as high as the third round in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft,[5] he was not drafted until the 40th round by the Cleveland Indians.[6] He did not sign and instead enrolled at North Carolina. In his freshman and sophomore years at North Carolina, Ryan appeared in only 33 games as a hitter, and only one game as a pitcher.[7]
Professional career
Cleveland Indians
After Ryan's sophomore year, he was drafted once again by the Indians, this time as a pitcher, in the 30th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft.[8] He chose to sign with Cleveland rather than return to school.[9] After signing, Ryan made his professional debut with the Arizona League Indians where he was 0–1 with a 3.86 ERA in 18+2⁄3 relief innings pitched. He began 2017 with the Lake County Captains, where he was named a Midwest League All-Star after compiling a 0.84 ERA in 21+1⁄3 innings pitched.[10]
New York Mets
On August 9, 2017, Ryan was traded to the New York Mets in exchange for Jay Bruce.[11] He finished the year with the Columbia Fireflies. In 41 relief appearances between Lake County and Columbia, he was 3–4 with a 4.14 ERA.[12] In 2018, he began the season with the St. Lucie Mets, where he was named a Florida State League All-Star after posting a 1–0 record, a 1.77 ERA, and a 0.93 WHIP over 16 relief appearances.[13] He was promoted to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies in late May.[14] Over 42 relief appearances between St. Lucie and Binghamton, he went 4–3 with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP.[15] Ryan, now ranked the Mets' #23 prospect on MLB Pipeline,[16] returned to Binghamton in 2019, going 3–1 with a 3.05 ERA over 44+1⁄3 innings, striking out forty.[17] He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[18]
Texas Rangers
On December 18, 2020, Ryan was traded to the Texas Rangers as the player to be named later in the Todd Frazier trade of August 31, 2020.[19] For the 2021 season, he was assigned to the Round Rock Express with whom he went 2–7 with a 5.60 ERA and 55 strikeouts over 45 innings pitched in relief.[20] He opened the 2022 season back with Round Rock.[21] He fared better in the 2022 season, improving to a 3.64 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 59.1 relief innings.[12]
Seattle Mariners
On December 19, 2022, Ryan signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners organization.[22] He was assigned to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers, where he pitched in 16 games and registered a 4.58 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 17+2⁄3 innings of work. On June 3, 2023, Ryan exercised an opt-out clause in his contract and was released by the Mariners.[23] He re-signed with the team on a new minor league contract on June 5.[24] On August 3, Ryan was selected to the 40-man roster and immediately optioned back to Tacoma.[25] On August 8, Ryan was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[26] On August 11, Ryan pitched the 8th inning of 9–2 win over the Baltimore Orioles, with two strikeouts and a walk in his MLB debut.[27] After only one appearance with the Mariners, Ryan was optioned back to Triple–A Tacoma.[28] On November 6, Ryan was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A Tacoma, making him eligible to elect minor league free agency.[29]
Pittsburgh Pirates
On December 11, 2023, Ryan signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates.[30] On March 25, 2024, the Pirates announced that Ryan's contract would be selected after he made the Opening Day roster.[31] He notched his first MLB win in a 7–2 victory over the Miami Marlins on March 29, going 1+2⁄3 innings with two strikeouts and stranding two runners inherited from starter Martin Perez.[32] Ryan made 13 appearances for the Pirates, logging a 5.29 ERA with 16 strikeouts across 17 innings of work. He was designated for assignment by Pittsburgh on July 30.[33] Ryan cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple–A Indianapolis Indians on August 2.[34] On August 12, the Pirates selected Ryan's contract, adding him back to their active roster.[35] He was designated for assignment a second time on August 19.[36] Ryan cleared waivers and returned to Indianapolis via an outright assignment on August 21.[37] He elected free agency on October 1.[38]
International career
On July 2, 2021, Ryan was named to the roster for the United States national baseball team for the 2020 Summer Olympics, contested in 2021 in Tokyo.[39] The team went on to win silver, falling to Japan in the gold-medal game.[40] Ryan allowed no earned runs across four appearances in the tournament and earned the win in the semifinal game versus South Korea.[41]
Personal life
Ryan and his wife, Brynn, have one son and one daughter.[42] Ryan's younger brother, River, plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers.[43]
