The Los Angeles Dodgers are heading into 2026 with a familiar strategy and a few key questions. Manager Dave Roberts made it clear during spring training in Glendale, Arizona, that the team is leaning toward opening the season with a six-man rotation-just as they did last year. But while the concept is familiar, the execution is anything but set in stone.
Dodgers Doubling Down on the Six-Man Plan
“We’re planning on it,” Roberts said when asked about sticking with six starters. “How long we stick with it? That’s harder to say.”
The Dodgers have the depth to make it work, and they’re not strangers to this approach. Last season, the rotation featured Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Emmet Sheehan, and the now-retired Clayton Kershaw.
With five of those six arms returning, the framework is already in place. The big question is: who fills Kershaw’s shoes?
The Sasaki Question
Enter Roki Sasaki. After a turbulent 2025 that saw him bounce between the bullpen and the injured list, the 24-year-old phenom is expected to rejoin the rotation. Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes has already given the green light, saying Sasaki “absolutely” will be starting again.
That’s a bold commitment, and one that comes with a fair amount of intrigue. Sasaki showed flashes of brilliance in relief last year, but consistency was hard to come by when he was in the starting role. His stuff is electric-no one questions that-but whether he can harness it over a full season in the rotation is one of the biggest unknowns heading into 2026.
If Sasaki can find his rhythm, the Dodgers could have one of the most dynamic rotations in baseball. If not, they’ll be forced to pivot quickly-something they’ve done well in recent years, thanks to their pitching depth and flexibility.
Roberts Keeping Options Open
While Sasaki seems like the logical choice to round out the rotation, Roberts stopped short of naming names.
“It’s hard to say right now who those participants are. It really is,” he said. “But I do think that with the starting pitching depth we have, it makes sense as I sit here right now.”
That’s classic Roberts-acknowledging the plan without locking anything in. And he’s right to be cautious. Injuries, performance swings, and potential roster moves could all shake things up before the end of April.
The six-man rotation offers several advantages, especially for a team like the Dodgers, who are managing the workloads of high-profile arms like Ohtani and Yamamoto. It also allows them to ease Sasaki back into a full starter’s role without overextending him early.
Depth is the Dodgers’ Best Friend
Regardless of how the final rotation shakes out, the Dodgers are in an enviable position. Most teams are scrambling to find five reliable starters. The Dodgers are choosing between six or more, and that’s before considering any midseason reinforcements from the farm system or trade market.
The only certainty right now is uncertainty. But with the talent they’ve assembled and the flexibility to adapt, the Dodgers are once again setting themselves up for a deep run-and they’re doing it on their terms.