Full Breakdown of Dodgers Starting Pitcher Battle

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts faces a fluid rotation picture as Opening Day approaches, with injuries, World Baseball Classic absences and a slow-healing free-agent addition leaving at least one—and probably two—starting jobs up for grabs.

Barring setbacks, the front four is set: Japanese stars Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki will slot in alongside trade-acquisition Tyler Glasnow and two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani. Yet Yamamoto and Ohtani’s participation in high-stakes international competition creates workload concerns, and Blake Snell’s continued build-up will keep him off the mound for the season opener. Gavin Stone’s shutdown after halting his throwing program further thins the ranks, nudging the club toward a six-man unit and opening two vacancies.

Three arms have emerged from the pack to contest those spots: Justin Wrobleski, Emmet Sheehan and River Ryan.

Emmet Sheehan, 26, brings the most recent regular-season credibility. Following an injury comeback last summer he logged 73.1 innings across 15 starts, compiling a 2.82 ERA and a tidy 89-to-22 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His deep repertoire offers sequencing options, but the success did not carry into October, when he was tagged for an 8.59 ERA in 7.1 postseason frames. A spring illness cost him valuable camp time, and his first Cactus League outing Wednesday—1.1 innings, one earned run, bases-loaded exit—did little to quiet concerns. Scouts still project upside, yet Sheehan must rebound quickly or risk losing the opportunity to a hotter candidate.

Justin Wrobleski, a fellow 25-year-old left-hander, is trending in the opposite direction. He struggled to a -0.1 bWAR in 66.2 regular-season innings while toiling in long relief, but authored a memorable October, tossing five scoreless frames and helping seal the Dodgers’ Game 7 World Series triumph over Toronto. Roberts acknowledged that performance earned Wrobleski renewed starter consideration, and an early spring statement—three hitless innings with only one ball leaving the infield—has strengthened his case. As the lone southpaw in a right-handed-heavy mix, Wrobleski offers roster balance and, at minimum, bulk-inning insurance.

River Ryan, the organization’s top pitching prospect, is attempting to re-establish momentum after more than a year lost to Tommy John surgery. The 27-year-old righty flashed elite potential in 2024, posting a 1.33 ERA in 20.1 innings before an elbow ligament tear intervened. His fastball has already jumped back to mid-90s life this spring, and a swing-and-miss change-up has complemented three shutout Cactus League frames. With a diversified pitch mix and a narrow window to translate prospect status into big-league impact, Ryan may hold the highest ceiling of the trio.

Roberts has stopped short of naming favorites, but the spring schedule now becomes an audition stage. Sheehan must prove rust and health concerns are behind him; Wrobleski needs to show his October poise is sustainable over longer stretches; Ryan must demonstrate post-surgery durability. How the trio performs over the next two weeks will determine whether Los Angeles breaks camp with a conventional five-man group or the increasingly likely six-man alignment designed to protect its high-profile arms and navigate an early-season gauntlet of postponed off-days.