Dodgers Manager Says Young Pitcher is 'Real Option' for Postseason Roster

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan (80) and catcher Dalton Rushing (68) walk to the dugout after warming up for the game against the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium on July 6 | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

When the Dodgers signed Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million free agent contract last December, their starting rotation looked complete. Snell would join right-handers Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto atop a rotation that was built for postseason success. The depth options weren't shabby, either.

Shohei Ohtani was taking steps toward his return to the mound. Clayton Kershaw re-signed for an 18th season in Los Angeles. Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin were expected to resume the trajectories they were on before undergoing surgeries that wiped out their 2024 seasons.

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Emmet Sheehan was an afterthought.

Flash forward to September. May is pitching for the Boston Red Sox. Gonsolin is hurt again. And that afterthought is 6-3 with a 3.32 ERA through his first 12 games of the season.

Now, Sheehan could elbow his way into the conversation involving the Dodgers' postseason rotation.

“Oh, he’s a real (postseason) option,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Tuesday in Los Angeles. “I don’t know what capacity, but when you’re playing meaningful games, young player, you’re looking at how they handle their emotions. And Emmet is, I like to use the word unflappable, and it’s a huge compliment. And he’s unflappable.”

Sheehan, 25, was perfect for five innings against the Colorado Rockies in the Dodgers' 7-2 win on Tuesday. He finished with only three hits and one run allowed in seven innings. Sheehan walked one batter and struck out nine.

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“He knows he’s talented, and he knows how to execute pitches. He’s got good stuff, and no moment is too big for him,” Roberts said of Sheehan. “I know that he’s a viable option for us now going forward.”

Sheehan's start Tuesday was the third of seven innings or more by a Dodgers starting pitcher in the last four days. The recent stretch has emphasized the need to minimize the workload on a bullpen that has been taxed more than any MLB team (585.2 innings). Their 4.20 ERA (through Tuesday) ranks 19th. Only seven teams have more blown saves.

The Dodgers have been burned often by relying on pitchers returning from major elbow surgeries. May pitched only 20 games from 2021-24. Gonsolin started only seven games this season, going 3-2 with a 5.00 ERA, before undergoing season-ending elbow surgery in August.

Sheehan's return from a May 2024 internal brace procedure on his right UCL has been smooth as butter. He's allowed two or fewer runs in nine of his 12 starts. He's never eclipsed 100 pitches in a game, but that hasn't stopped him from throwing five innings in seven of his 12 starts so far.

If Sheehan can keep it up, his chances of playing a major factor in October will only increase.

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