Dodgers' Dave Roberts Sends Challenge to Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan Amid Struggles

The Los Angeles Dodgers' roster may be littered with All-Stars and MVPs, but the back end of the starting rotation is relying on a couple young pitchers.

Roki Sasaki and Emmet Sheehan haven't lived up to expectations early in the 2026 season. Sasaki has posted a 6.11 ERA with 17 strikeouts across 17.2 innings pitched. Meanwhile, Sheehan is sporting a 5.85 ERA with 18 strikeouts across 20 innings.

Manager Dave Roberts has challenged both right-handers to pitch deeper into games numerous times this season in order to help lessen the burden on the bullpen. He did it again on Tuesday.

"Emmet and Roki [are still] earning that opportunity to go deeper, but the other guys have done a really nice job up to this point," Roberts said. "And I'm looking for both of those guys to take that next step.

"When they do that, then it certainly alleviates a lot of pressure and strain on the 'pen."

"There's a love/hate respect sort of thing with the teams, the fan bases."

Dave Roberts talks about the rivalry, gives an update on Blake Snell, Freddie Freeman, the bullpen, and more before tonight's series opener with the San Francisco Giants. #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/JvLiheRtQx
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) April 22, 2026

The talk surrounding the Dodgers heading into camp this spring was what they would do with their plethora of starting pitching talent.

The Dodgers are currently sporting a six-man rotation that features Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Justin Wrobleski, Sheehan and Sasaki. Blake Snell is expected to return sometime in the next month, too.

When Snell returns, someone will seemingly need to transition to the bullpen (or get sent to the minor leagues). While Wrobleski started the year in the bullpen, he's been one of the team's best starting pitchers as of late.

Justin Wrobleski has made three starts for the Dodgers this year against the Blue Jays, Mets and Rockies.

He's completed 20 innings. He's allowed 2 earned runs.

That's a 0.90 ERA. pic.twitter.com/yKUXBj8LeS
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) April 21, 2026

Sheehan made appearances out of the bullpen for the Dodgers in the Wild Card Series, National League Division Series and World Series last year. The right-hander allowed seven earned runs across 7.1 innings in the playoffs as a reliever for an ailing Dodgers bullpen.

Sasaki's transition to the bullpen told a different tale with the right-hander posting a 0.84 ERA with six strikeouts and three saves in nine postseason appearances. He became the Dodgers' secret weapon out of the bullpen as he emerged as the team's closer with relievers Tanner Scott and Alex Vesia unavailable.

However, it appears transitioning to the bullpen isn't an option for the Japanese fireballer as general manager Brandon Gomes sent a clear message on the Dodgers potentially moving Sasaki amid his struggles.

"No," Gomes said.

Sasaki is too good to pitch in the minors, but he's not pitching well enough to feature in a big league rotation (at least not one with back-to-back World Series titles). The same goes for Sheehan, who finished the 2025 regular season with a 2.82 ERA.

The Dodgers need to see more from both hurlers as the season progresses, or they'll have some difficult decisions to make when Snell returns.

It will certainly be interesting to see what route the Dodgers decide to take with Sasaki and Sheehan if their struggles persist. For now, they can help their own causes by pitching deeper into games.

Add us as a preferred source on Google