Cody Snavely
Prior to yesterday’s disappointing loss in front of a crowd of more than fifty-three thousand Dodgers fans attending for the first Shohei Ohtani bobblehead, the Dodgers announced that young right-handed pitcher Emmet Sheehan would miss the rest of the season undergoing Tommy John Surgery.
Sheehan, 24, was pivotal in the Dodgers’ pitching staff throughout the 2023 season, shifting between the starting rotation and the bullpen come October; however, after throwing a career-high 123.1 innings between the minors and MLB, along with an extra 22 innings in the Arizona Fall League.
That tax on his arm caught up with him. Sheehan was shut down early in spring training after facing Ohtani in live at-bats, and the Dodgers front office and coaching staff left his status ambiguous.
Sheehan is another arm in the Dodgers’ starting rotation that has been plagued with injuries to begin this season, along with Clayton Kershaw, Bobby Miller, Dustin May, and Tony Gonsolin.
All winter, Sheehan was expected to be a massive part of the Dodgers’ pitching plans for 2024. With him now set to miss the remainder of the year, what is the outlook moving forward?
Gavin Stone’s runaway season
After Sheehan’s injury in March, the Dodgers turned to Gavin Stone, another young right-handed arm who made his debut in 2023.
Stone, 25, made his Major League debut early last season, and his first taste of the big leagues was less than to be desired, going 1-1 with a 9.00 ERA in 31 innings. Stone’s name was thrown around in trade rumors by insiders and fans alike; however, the Dodgers held on to the righty for good reason, which is now paying off.
Entering 2024, Stone, who had experience of what it takes to be a Major League pitcher, changed his approach and attitude toward attacking hitters, along with recovering from a foot injury he quoted as being an issue he dealt with last season.
With Sheehan shut down, the fifth spot in the Dodgers’ starting rotation was up for grabs, and with that came another opportunity for Stone to prove he belonged. In fourteen innings during Spring Training, Stone pitched to a 3.21 ERA, striking out thirteen batters and having a 0.79 WHIP, earning him the final spot in the rotation, a position he has also held on to.
So far in 2024, Gavin Stone has been a godsend in the back of the rotation and is in the midst of the best stretch of his career, having an ERA under two in his last four starts, allowing only four earned runs in twenty-six innings of work.
Overall, Stone has a 3.27 ERA, 1.273 WHIP, and 124 ERA+ in 44 innings pitched. Some could argue that he is having a better rookie season than teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but that is a debate for another day.
With the news of Sheehan’s surgery, Gavin’s spot in the rotation for the rest of 2024 is not up for debate. Even with the potential return of Bobby Miller and Clayton Kershaw, Stone has earned his spot in the rotation.
Sheehan was a luxury, not a necessity
During the 2023 season, the Dodgers were decimated by injuries and off-field issues, which tested the depth of their pitching. The Dodgers looked at multiple minor league pitchers, including Gavin Stone, Bobby Miller, and Kyle Hurt.
However, the Dodgers made moves this offseason that brought them Major League starting talent in Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and James Paxton, as well as Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, and Walker Buehler.
The Dodgers also have multiple prospects ready to make their way to the Majors this season, with Landon Knack leading the pack, making his debut this season, and pitching exceptionally well, going 1-1 with a 2.81 ERA.
In the coming months, the Dodgers will also have left-handed veteran starter Clayton Kershaw rejoin the team. He has already begun throwing bullpen games the past two weeks and is eying a mid-summer return.
That leaves the Dodgers with eight potential starters come August, and there will only be room for four of them come October. Adding Sheehan to that equation could’ve complicated things even more, as he was an irrelevant piece for the Dodgers during the 2024 season.
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