With Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell eventually set to return, and Roki Sasaki still getting every chance to grow in the rotation, Emmet Sheehan’s spot is looking shakier by the day. Sunday’s loss to the San Diego Padres only sharpened that picture.
Sheehan’s numbers from last season had hinted at a real breakout. He posted a 2.82 ERA in a little over 73 innings, enough to fuel the idea that the Dodgers had found another rotation option and maybe even opened the door to speculation about a possible Glasnow trade.
But this year has told a different story. The 26-year-old took the loss Sunday, and while he wasn’t shelled, the outing did little to ease the pressure around him.
In just over four innings, Sheehan struck out five, allowed one run on three hits and issued three walks. The uncomfortable part came in the fifth, when the Dodgers’ handling of the inning made their level of confidence in him hard to miss.
After getting the first out, Sheehan walked Luis Campusano and then gave up a double to Fernando Tatis Jr. With runners on second and third and one out, pitching coach Mark Prior came out to visit. It looked like Sheehan might get a shot to work through the jam, but the change was made by Prior instead.
Jack Dreyer came in and finished the inning without allowing a run, but the sequence said plenty. The Dodgers didn’t wait long, and they didn’t leave much doubt about how much trust they had in Sheehan in that spot.
After the game, Dave Roberts was asked about the decision and said he had sent Prior out to talk to Sheehan before changing his mind and telling Prior to make the move.
“No disrespect to Emmet,” Roberts said.
If Roberts had simply made the change himself, it probably would have passed without much noise. Sheehan was nearing 100 pitches, the Padres lineup was turning over, and there were runners in scoring position. That kind of move is standard stuff.
What made this one stand out was the way it unfolded. It felt less like a routine hook and more like another sign that, once the Dodgers get healthier, Sheehan could be the one squeezed out.
The trade deadline is still a month away, though, and that keeps things interesting. Sheehan remains a name to watch if the Dodgers get involved in a Tarik Skubal trade, since he could give the Detroit Tigers a starter who can step into a rotation right away. At this point, a fresh start might not sound so bad for him either.
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