The Los Angeles Dodgers brought up right-hander Emmet Sheehan for a spot start against the Cincinnati Reds. It went so well that the Dodgers will keep him in the rotation.
“Emmet sticks around,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on SportsNet LA’s postgame coverage. “He’ll start on Sunday in Miami.”
It was a step in the right direction for the 26-year-old. Sheehan held the Reds to one run on three hits, one walk, and 10 strikeouts over 5.2 innings. It marked the fifth time he posted a double-digit strikeout game in his young career.
His lone blemish was an Elly De La Cruz home run in the first inning. Despite that, the right-hander picked up his first win with the Dodgers since June 28.
“Big step, good to get him back here, throwing the baseball like he did tonight. Nine, 10 strikeouts. I thought he did a nice job through five (innings), certainly, holding his velocity and stuff. Getting into the sixth inning was big.”
Emmet Sheehan Stays in Dodgers Rotation Following Reds Start
The fact that Dave Roberts committed another start is a good sign for Emmet Sheehan’s viability in the Dodgers rotation.
The right-hander has struggled this year. He was viewed as a core member of the starting rotation after a promising 2025 season coming off Tommy John surgery.
Sheehan had a 5.29 ERA across 95.1 innings before this stint. The 26-year-old has solid strikeout (27.3%) and walk (7.2%) rates, so it’s not necessarily a control or stuff issue. The biggest issue came down to home runs, as he surrendered 1.89 per nine innings pitched over his first 20 starts.
Hitters have teed off on his fastball, hitting .262 with a .631 slugging percentage. 13 of the 20 home runs came off his four-seamer, which ticked down to 94.4 MPH this season.
However, Sheehan kept the Reds from doing too much damage against the pitch. While establishing the four-seamer the first time through, he quickly relied more on his curveball and slider as the lineup turned over the second and third time through.
That led to a night where the right-hander logged 18 whiffs on 43 swings (43% rate) and a called strike or whiff on 39% of his pitches. Sheehan took advantage, tying his career high in strikeouts.
What’s Next for Emmet Sheehan?
Emmet Sheehan got demoted to the minor leagues as the rotation got healthier. However, the injury to swingman Eric Lauer and the latest Shohei Ohtani news could open up an opportunity.
There’s only a handful of games left, but Sheehan could audition for a potential postseason role. The club will roll with a postseason rotation of Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tarik Skubal.
Like last year, Sheehan could be used in a relief role. How well he pitches in his final three starts could determine if he’ll get any run in the postseason. His next outing will come against a Miami Marlins team that has hovered around .500 for most of the season.
Dodgers Announce Emmet Sheehan Decision After Reds Game