The Los Angeles Dodgers announced a roster move ahead of their series against the Cincinnati Reds. Emmet Sheehan has been optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, while reliever Paul Gervase has been recalled.
Sheehan earned another opportunity to start. Following a strong outing against the Reds, he was lined up for the series finale against the Miami Marlins. He fired six scoreless innings to put the Dodgers in a position to win the series. However, the bullpen couldn’t hold it, as Tanner Scott had another ninth-inning implosion.
With the Dodgers bullpen struggling to close out another game, a move was imminent. Sheehan was ultimately optioned to the minors to make room for another reliever.
The Dodgers will try to beat the Reds to secure a postseason spot. This is due to the fact that the Diamondbacks and Padres will play each other to close out the season.
Dodgers Option Emmet Sheehan to Triple-A Oklahoma City
The Dodgers elected to send Emmet Sheehan down to the minors. This marks another short stint, as he was called up to start against the Reds on September 8. In his two starts with the club, he allowed one run in 11.1 innings with 15 strikeouts and two walks.
Barring injury, he will not throw another pitch for the major league club during the regular season. The 15-day window for an optional assignment will carry through the end of the regular season on September 27.
If that is indeed his final pitch, he’ll finish the year 5-8 with a 4.79 ERA across 22 starts. It will mark a disappointing campaign for the 26-year-old, who seemed like he’d be a rotation regular all season long. But the silver lining is his final two starts of the year were very strong.
However, he would still be eligible to pitch in the postseason. Should the Dodgers have to play in the Wild Card round, he’s a candidate to be added to the roster. But given the current picture, Los Angeles will likely have a bye for that round.
What’s Next for Dodgers Rotation?
The Emmet Sheehan decision leaves a hole in the Dodgers rotation for the time being. They will operate with a rotation of Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow for their series against the Reds.
That leaves them without a starter for the series opener against the San Francisco Giants. The likely pitcher would be Justin Wrobleski, assuming he doesn’t pitch in the Reds series. He’d start the September 18 game against the Giants on five days’ rest.
The Dodgers will have to navigate through the final 13 games of the regular season with essentially four healthy starting pitchers. Wrobleski plays a role in that somewhat, since he can provide multiple innings. The All-Star left-hander is essentially an opener at this point of the season.
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