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The Los Angeles Dodgers are on a good streak when it comes to the health of their pitchers. Shohei Ohtani made his Dodgers debut on Monday against the San Diego Padres.
After winning the first two games of the series, Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts brings another starter off of the injured list. Emmet Sheehan will make his 2025 debut against Stephen Kolek and the Padres.
The Dodgers activated the 25-year-old off of the IL ahead of Wednesday's game, according to their social media page. In order to make room on their roster, Los Angeles optioned Matt Sauer to Triple-A. Fans await Sheehan's first start of the season, ready to see if he will be able to find a role in a star-studded rotation.
Sheehan pitched in 13 games in 2023 before Tommy John surgery robbed him of the 2024 season. Now he has a chance to kick off his sophomore year in Major League Baseball with a bang. Roberts is confident in his young starter, choosing him to finish off San Diego, who have been one of the Dodgers' main challengers in the National League West.
Sheehan enters a rotation headlined by Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, and Clayton Kershaw. Roberts is still waiting for Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki to come back from the IL as well as Glasnow. Until then, Sheehan will have his chance to show what he can do.
Even if the righty does not figure into the rotation when the playoffs begin, Sheehan could still have an impact. Roberts has a habit of leaning heavily on his bullpen in the postseason. Sheehan gives his manager another option to turn to if one of his starters gets off to a poor start.
Sheehan is scheduled to take the mound on Wednesday and early next week against the Colorado Rockies. If he plays well, his spot in the rotation is secure, at least until Glasnow and Snell complete their recovery. The former faced live hitters for the Dodgers while the latter impressed Roberts during his latest bullpen session.
Los Angeles won the World Series in 2024 and are the favorites to win the championship again this year. Dodgers veterans have harped on not getting caught in a “championship hangover”, and it has worked.
Los Angeles hopes that Sheehan's return is one more step in their journey towards back-to-back titles. All eyes will be on the young starter as he takes the mound for the first time in more than a year.
