Former BC Baseball Pitcher Emmet Sheehan Optioned to Triple-A After Promising MLB Season Debut

Sheehan was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth round of the 2021 MLB Draft following a breakout season with the Eagles.

John Quackenbos / BC Athletics (bceagles.com)

Former Boston College baseball pitcher Emmet Sheehan took the big-league mound for the first time since October 2023—when he sustained an injury to his right elbow which required Tommy John surgery—Wednesday night against the Padres. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander showed promise as a 25-year-old rookie in 2023, going 4-1 and registering a 4.92 ERA.

In four innings of work on Wednesday, Sheehan shined, surrendering three hits and a run while fanning six in the 4-3 victory.

A strong return to the mound for Emmet. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/S7sBhYrwlD

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 19, 2025

But only a day later, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported that Sheehan was packing up his bags in the locker room. Los Angeles optioned Sheehan back to the Oklahoma City Comets, the triple-A affiliate of the Dodgers.

The Dodgers selected the contract of RHP Jack Little and optioned RHP Emmet Sheehan. In order to make room on the roster, the Dodgers transferred RHP Tony Gonsolin to the 60-day injured list.

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 19, 2025

Sheehan’s quick demotion comes in the wake of Los Angeles selecting the contract of Jack Little, a former fifth-round pick, who is set to make his major-league pitching debut in the coming days. Pitcher Tony Gonsolin was correspondingly transferred to the 60-day injured list—a theme which is becoming recurrent in the Dodgers’ locker room.

A total of 13 pitchers for Los Angeles are on the injured list, and the move to send Sheehan down came as quite a surprise to some of the Dodgers’ faithful.

Sheehan, a Darien, Conn. native who played two seasons with Fordham Prep and two at the Salisbury School (Conn.) in high school, arrived in Chestnut Hill in 2019. 

The 6-foot-5 righty appeared in 12 games, including one start, and posted a 1-0 record in 14.0 innings with 21 strikeouts.

Sheehan’s breakout season with the Eagles came in 2021 as a junior—which also marked his last season on the Heights. He racked up 106 strikeouts in 76.2 innings for BC and held a 5-5 record with a 4.23 ERA.

The Dodgers selected Sheehan in the sixth round of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft, and he finally got the call for his MLB debut on June 19, 2023 after recording a 4-1 record with a 1.86 ERA for double-A Tulsa. Sheehan retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced against the San Francisco Giants, including the final six batters of his initial outing.

In May 2024, Sheehan underwent an internal brace procedure to repair his right elbow, which ended his second season in the big leagues. Despite being optioned back to triple-A, his performance on Wednesday is only a positive sign for the former Eagle.