Cody Snavely
Prior to today’s Spring Training game against the Texas Rangers and Dodgers, Manager Dave Roberts announced that young right-handed pitcher Emmet Sheehan will begin the season on the injured list.
Why is Sheehan starting the year on the IL?
Entering the 2024 season, it was almost a given that Emmet Sheehan would be penciled in as the Dodgers’ fifth starter in the rotation.
With Walker Buehler starting the year on the IL with a delayed starter and Clayton Kershaw placed on the 60-day IL as he recovered from off-season shoulder surgery, it was a logical bet to place for Sheehan.
However, the Dodgers have other plans. As entering camp, the team began slowly playing the young righty.
Roberts told the media that the team shut down Sheehan after a live at-bat session against Dodgers DH Shohei Ohtani, citing “fatigue” and “general soreness.”
Roberts also suggested that expecting Sheehan to be ready for the Opening Day series in Korea with only four Cactus League Spring Training games left before the team heads overseas would be unrealistic.
The Dodgers taking it slow with Sheehan makes sense in the grand scheme of things, especially if you understand how the Dodgers operate.
The 2023 season was the most innings Sheehan has thrown in his professional career, totaling up to 123.1 innings between the minors and MLB, along with an extra 22 innings in the Arizona Fall League.
The Dodgers have the luxury of slowly playing multiple arms, as, unlike last year, the starting rotation depth is deeper.
With Sheehan out, who’s next up?
With Emmet Sheehan starting the season in the IL, that opens up the final spot in the Dodgers rotation. The two most logical options are Michael Grove and Gavin Stone.
Grove spent the bulk of 2023 as a hybrid starter and relief pitcher and looked to continue that trend, but with Sheehan injured, he could slide back into the rotation until Sheehan or Buehler are back.
However, I am betting on Gavin Stone getting the crack at the rotation, especially after surviving the first round of roster cuts this past week.
Gavin Stone has impressed so far this spring, posting a 1.59 ERA in 5.2 innings and showing life with his fastball and change-up, two pitches that were hit hard last year.
If Stone is to make the roster, the Dodgers will likely want him getting regular starts to help with his progression rather than jumping off his routine sitting in the bullpen.
For Opening Day in Korea, the Dodgers only need to confirm two starting pitchers for the two-game series, which have been alluded to be Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
However, once the team returns to the States for the domestic Opening Day against the St. Louis Cardinals, I expect the rotation to go as follows:
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto
- Tyler Glasnow
- Bobby Miller
- James Paxton
- Gavin Stone
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