Back in spring training, the Dodgers made no secret of their intent to eventually operate with a six-man rotation in 2025 — a strategy designed to manage the workload of several returning pitchers coming off major injuries. But if you look at the state of the rotation today, it’s a reminder of how quickly even the best-laid plans can unravel.
The latest twist: Emmet Sheehan has officially been named the Dodgers’ sixth starter, completing a rotation that now bears only partial resemblance to the group envisioned at the start of the year. The announcement marks a notable comeback for Sheehan, who underwent Tommy John surgery in May of 2024 and was not expected back until late this season at the earliest. Instead, he’s now poised to play a pivotal role down the stretch.
It’s a surprising but necessary move for a team that, despite its deep pockets and star-studded rotation on paper, has been battered by attrition.
From Deep Rotation to Patchwork Puzzle
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At the start of 2025, the Dodgers lined up five healthy arms: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, and a fifth spot open for competition. Sheehan wasn’t even in the conversation then — recovering from surgery and projected as a second-half bullpen option at best.
The Dodgers had hoped to rotate in a sixth starter later in the year to protect arms like Glasnow and Snell, both of whom missed time in 2024, and to ease in Shohei Ohtani once he was ready to pitch. But the original plan — which also included Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin as viable back-end starters — has completely collapsed.
Gonsolin’s rehab stalled midseason, and May was traded at the deadline in a deal that signaled the club’s dwindling confidence in his long-term health after multiple surgeries and a season-ending esophageal tear in 2024.
Emmet Sheehan’s Unexpected Rise
Enter Sheehan, who’s leapt over a series of injured and underperforming arms to claim the sixth spot. It’s a role he’s familiar with — Sheehan made 11 starts for the Dodgers in 2023 and flashed swing-and-miss stuff with a fastball that plays at the top of the zone. The club has been cautious with his workload since his return, but clearly sees him as ready for meaningful innings.
His emergence comes at a time when the Dodgers badly need stability. Bobby Miller — once projected as a rotation mainstay — hasn’t been able to recapture his form after posting an 8.52 ERA in 13 starts last season. Gavin Stone, the team’s innings leader from 2024, is out for the year with shoulder surgery. Even prized addition Roki Sasaki has had growing pains, not unexpected for a 23-year-old adjusting to Major League lineups after shoulder and oblique issues in Japan.
What’s Left of the Original Los Angeles Dodgers Vision
By now, the Dodgers’ six-man rotation — Yamamoto, Snell, Glasnow, Sasaki, Landon Knack, and Sheehan — bears only a loose resemblance to the one envisioned in February. Ohtani has yet to join the staff. Gonsolin and May are gone, in different ways. Knack, once seen as an innings bridge, is now a rotation regular. And Sheehan, who was penciled in as a late-season flyer, is suddenly vital.
Even with Clayton Kershaw potentially returning in September, the Dodgers know they’re playing the long game. The hope is that this six-man unit can hold long enough to get healthy reinforcements — or at least survive into October, when off days and bullpen usage tighten the margins.
But what was once a luxury strategy — deploying six starters to prevent breakdowns — has become a necessity driven by them. And Sheehan’s unexpected elevation may be the clearest sign yet of just how much the Dodgers’ rotation has evolved out of survival, not strategy.