LA makes a decision on 2 pitching roles on the pitching staff
As it is The Los Angeles Dodgers are ramping up for the 2026 season, Dave Roberts and the company has been keeping a close eye on its expansion staff to see who could fill which role when the regular season opens.
With four certified starters locked in in World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell, two-way unicorn Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow, who would be No. 1 on many teams, the Dodgers have at least three pitchers fighting for it fifth starting place in Rocky Sasaki, Emmett Shean and Justin Wrobleskiwith the “losers” going to the bullpen for serious innings-eating roles when the opener gets out of the outing.
Will it be disappointing for pitchers who don’t secure that fifth starter role? Sure, but on Saturday, Dave Roberts told reporters like the Athletics’ Katie Wu that the organization still considers Sheehan and Wrobleski rookies and will treat them as such “until they are.”
“Dave Roberts also said the organization still considers Emmett Sheehan and Justin Wrobleski (two substitutions in today’s SS vs. CHC game) as starters,” Wu wrote. “They will be reinforced as such as the Dodgers build their rotation. ‘Starters until they are is the way I think we should look at it.’
Entering professional baseball in the sixth and 11th rounds of the MLB Amateur Draft, Sheehan and Wrobleski gradually worked their way up the Dodgers ranks to become certified big arms capable of throwing multiple innings at a time. While he may not start the year in Roberts’ rotation, last season proved that having more than five starters who can go is key for a team with World Cup ambitions. With Ohtani, Snell and Glasnow all over 30, who knows, maybe Sheehan or Wrobleski – or even both – could still become LA’s long-term starters in the future.
2026-02-28 21:35:00
