Dodgers Face Tough Decision as Blake Snell Nears 2026 Debut

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a wealth of riches in the starting pitching department, giving the team a pathway to navigate through injuries. But whenever a team has multiple options, sometimes there are a few players who end up missing the cut, even if they haven't done anything wrong.

For the Dodgers, they have been missing the services of star left-hander Blake Snell, who has been out due to a shoulder injury. But Snell is getting closer to a return, having just made his second rehab start for Single-A Ontario.

Next up for Snell will be an outing at Triple-A, where he is scheduled to throw around four innings and about 60 pitches. If all goes well for the left-hander in this start, he could make one more start before being called back to the big leagues — and then the Dodgers would have some tough decisions to make.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow are safe in the starting rotation as Snell comes back. But this then leaves two spots for three pitchers, creating a dilemma for the Dodgers.

In all likelihood, right-hander Roki Sasaki will be safe from being cut from the rotation. Manager Dave Roberts has pushed back on the idea of moving Sasaki from the starting group, even though he makes the most sense due to his ongoing struggles.

Sasaki has made five starts for the team this season, posting an ERA of 6.35 overall. Even with his issues, the Dodgers have held firm on him staying in the rotation as he develops into a consistent pitcher at the major league level.

So, that puts the decision down to two pitchers.

Dodgers Likely Deciding Between Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski

The Doders will likely haveto choose between the team pushing out right-hander Emmet Sheehan or left-hander Justin Wrobleski. Sheehan has been a little more inconsistent than Wrobleski to open the year, but the right-hander has thrown multiple quality outings of late.

Overall, Sheehan has made five starts for the Dodgers, posting an ERA of 4.78 over 26.1 innings of work. In his last two starts, however, Sheehan has looked very strong, only allowing three runs over 11.1 innings while striking out 14 batters.

On the other hand, Wrobleski has been dominant in each start this season for Los Angeles. Wrobleski has made five appearances (four starts), putting up an ERA of 1.50 overall in 30 innings of work.

As a starter, he has a 0.69 ERA over 26 innings.

Justin Wrobleski has made four starts this season:

6 IP, 0 ER, 6 K, 109 pitches vs. Cubs
7 IP, 1 ER, 3 K, 97 pitches vs. Rockies
8 IP, 0 ER, 2 K, 90 pitches vs. Mets
5 IP, 1 ER, 2 K, 78 pitches vs. Blue Jays

That's a 0.69 ERA for the Dodgers' 11th-round pick in 2021. pic.twitter.com/waOGiSgZ3I
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) April 26, 2026

The left-hander has filled in nicely for Snell, giving the Dodgers a reliable presence in the starting rotation. Wrobleski has emerged for Los Angeles this season after being a major piece in the team winning the World Series last year.

Both Wrobleski and Sheehan have been used out of the bullpen before in their careers, and this is where the Dodgers may push the one who doesn't make the cut. This is a good problem for Los Angeles to have, and it's one that most other teams would welcome with open arms.

Overall, the Dodgers should be looking to keep Wrobleski in the rotation when Snell comes back. His stuff on the mound has been more reliable and consistent than Sheehan's, which could give the Dodgers more clarity for the long-term of this pitching staff.

Sheehan could act as a long reliever for now, and then transition back into the starting rotation if another injury occurs.

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