A Long Time Coming, Ryan Ward Debuts for Dodgers

ROCKLAND, Mass. 一 Finally, Ryan Ward has reached the end of a long road to The Show.

The 2016 Worcester Braveheart was recalled by the Los Angeles Dodgers and became the 32nd former Futures Leaguer to make his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut on Sunday, going 2-for-5 with an RBI single as the starting first baseman against the Colorado Rockies.

A Bryant University product and native of Millbury, Mass., Ward earned his first call to Hollywood to take Freddie Freeman's roster spot while the nine-time All-Star was placed on the paternity list. The 28-year-old has paid his dues while climbing the pro ball ladder, playing 696 games across seven seasons in the minors since being drafted in the eighth round back in 2019, including 420 at Triple-A alone.

Ward was the Pacific Coast League MVP in 2025, recording a .290 average and leading all of Minor League Baseball in home runs (36), RBI (122), extra-base hits (73) and total bases (315). He drove in more runs than any player in that league since 2010. That performance landed Ward on the Dodgers' 40-man roster, and he entered 2026 as the No. 19 prospect in the organization according to MLB Pipeline. Prior to his recall, Ward was hitting .324 with four homers and 14 RBI in 18 games this season. 

After graduating from Millbury High School as the 2016 Telegram & Gazette Player of the Year and a five-time SWCL All-Star, the Futures League marked Ward's very first stop on the way to a pro career. Ward hit .375 with an .891 OPS, 13 RBI, 24 runs scored and 10 stolen bases in 32 regular-season games as a Braveheart before going 7-for-17 during a four-game playoff run.

At Bryant, Ward suffered a season-ending injury 10 games into his freshman spring before returning to put together two of the best seasons in program history. He is the first and only Bulldog with 90-plus hits in back-to-back years, and his .383 career average is still the best in Bryant's Division 1 era. A two-time ABCA All-American, Ward earned Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Co-National Freshman of the Year and New England Player and Rookie of the Year honors as a redshirt freshman in 2018.

Ward became the first Futures League alum to debut in MLB in 2026 after a record 12 were listed on Opening Day rosters. Seven former Futures Leaguers were recalled for the first time and played in at least one MLB game last season, which established another all-time best since the league's inception in 2011.

Ward is Worcester's league-leading seventh alum to reach the bigs and the second league product to reach MLB out of Bryant, following in the footsteps of Mickey Gasper (Nashua '16), a Futures League Hall of Famer and former Most Valuable Player.

Incredibly, Ward became the third former Futures Leaguer on the roster of the two-time reigning World Series champions, as Emmet Sheehan (Bristol '18, New Britain '20) made his fourth start of the season on Saturday and Ben Casparius (New Britain '20) has been called out of the bullpen five times.

For the latest news and information on the Futures League all year long, visit thefuturesleague.com and follow the league's Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram pages.