Ryan Ward

Ryan Joseph Ward (born February 23, 1998) is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Career Amateur career Ward attended Millbury High School in Millbury, Massachusetts, where he played baseball and golf. As a junior in 2015, he hit .525 with three home runs, 19 RBIs, and seven doubles over 59 at-bats. He went unselected in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft and enrolled at Bryant University to play college baseball. During the summer of 2016, he played for the Worcester Bravehearts of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.

Ward started the first 10 games of his freshman season at Bryant in 2017 before he broke his wrist, forcing him to miss the remainder of the year. As a sophomore in 2018, he batted .409 with eight home runs, 52 RBI, 22 doubles, and 101 hits over 56 starts. That summer, he played in the New England Collegiate Baseball League with the Ocean State Waves. As a junior in 2019, he played in 58 games and hit .382 with 13 home runs, 51 RBI, and 12 stolen bases. After the season, he was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth round with the 251st overall selection in the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.

Los Angeles Dodgers Ward signed with the Dodgers and spent his first professional season with the Ogden Raptors, batting .271 with four home runs, 23 RBI, and 11 doubles over 49 games. He did not play a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ward spent the 2021 season with the Great Lakes Loons and slashed .278/.352/.524 with 27 home runs, 84 RBI, and 21 doubles over 109 games. He spent the 2022 season with the Tulsa Drillers, where he hit .255 in 116 games with 28 home runs and 78 RBI. He played in 139 games for them, hitting .234 with 21 homers and 95 RBI. He was also selected for the Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player Award. The Dodgers added him to their 40-man roster after the season to prevent him from becoming a minor league free agent.

Ward was called up to the major leagues for the first time on April 19, 2026, to make his debut as the starting first baseman against the Colorado Rockies. During the game, Ward had his first major league hit off Michael Lorenzen. He was optioned back to the minors on April 21st. Ward hit his first major league home run off Andrew Painter in a 9-1 win against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 31st. On June 10th he hit a grand slam off Carmen Mlodzinski of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

International career Ward played for the United States national baseball team at the 2024 WBSC Premier12, where he was named to the All-World Team as the top designated hitter and led the tournament in home runs.