Reinforcements are on the way for the rotation

A number of arms are close to returning

The Dodgers’ starting rotation has been in shambles for quite some time.

Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell have missed majority of the season, while Roki Sasaki has now missed a month. Tony Gonsolin just landed on the IL and it looks like it’ll be some time before we see him return.

Guys that have been asked to step in and make spot starts (Landon Knack, Bobby Miller, Justin Wrobleski) have been terrible, for the most part.

LA’s rotation is last in the majors in innings pitched, while their bullpen is first in innings pitched. Despite all that, the Dodgers are still in first place in the NL West. And despite this article starting off on a really sour note, I do have some good news.

The rotation is going to look a lot better…….. soon!

It looks like Tony Gonsolin is going to miss more time than expected, which will open up a spot in the rotation. It looks like that spot is going to go to Ben Casparius, who one could argue has been LA’s most valuable arm up until this point.

The rookie is third in innings pitched for the club. He’s been asked to start games, go multiple innings out of the bullpen and pitch in high-leverage situations. Essentially whatever you ask from him, he’s delivered.

In 37.1 innings, Casparius owns a 2.86 ERA, 1.90 FIP and has a 1.5 fWAR. He’s been arguably the best rookie pitcher in all of baseball this season. Following his four-inning start on Wednesday, manager Dave Roberts said that Casparius’ next outing will be as a starter.

He’s not fully built up to throw 90+ pitches, but he’ll be able to increase his pitch count with every start. This is a no-brainer for the team, and makes even more sense with Kirby Yates and Michael Kopech returning from the IL. Although Casparius should have been named a starter weeks ago, there weren’t any right-handed high-leverage arms available in the bullpen for the Dodgers. It was literally just Casparius. Well now that a few have returned, he can go back to starting.

Starting games shouldn’t be anything new for Casparius. He was used as a starting pitcher while coming up through the minors. He’s done it all throughout his career, so getting back into starter mode shouldn’t be an issue.

Another arm that could be joining the rotation soon is Emmet Sheehan. Remember him? We haven’t seen him since 2023, as he missed all of 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

He was fantastic to close out his rookie campaign two years ago. Over his final seven outings, Sheehan posted a 3.19 ERA with a 0.94 WHIP. He had an incredible 35 percent strikeout rate while posting an eight percent walk rate. Over his final three starts, Sheehan was even better, as he posted a 1.98 ERA with a 47 (!!!!!!) percent strikeout rate.

Yeah, he was looking like a future Cy Young candidate over those final outings.

He’s expected to make at least one more start with Oklahoma City as he continues his rehab process. After he makes that start, the Dodgers will evaluate where he’s at and decide if they want to bring him back and have him join the rotation.

So far, Sheehan has made three rehab starts and thrown a combined 11 innings. His most recent outing was his longest start, as he went three innings and threw nearly 50 pitches. I’m guessing he’ll throw around 70 in his next start. After that, we’ll see if the Dodgers think he’s ready.

If Sheehan joins the rotation, things are looking up for LA. Their rotation will feature Yamamoto, May, Kershaw, Casparius and Sheehan. That’s looking a lot better than needing a bullpen game or Bobby Miller to make a start for you.

The good news doesn’t end there. It sounds like both Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are progressing as well.

Snell threw a bullpen session in San Diego on Tuesday. While speaking on AM 570, he said he hasn’t experienced any soreness or pain as he continues to build his arm back up. There’s no date on when we can see Snell’s next bullpen session, but you’d have to imagine it’ll be within the next week.

Glasnow also threw a bullpen session this week, though this one came back home in Los Angeles. The reports were positive with Glasnow as well. Like Snell, we’ll have to wait and see when he throws again.

This is definitely a step in the right direction for both starters, who have combined to make only seven starts this season. I don’t want to put a timeline on either guy, but based on where we’re at now, I think it’s fair to expect both guys to return before August, maybe even shortly after the All-Star break.

Finally, we’ll wrap up today’s article with maybe the most exciting news of the bunch. We know Shohei Ohtani is going to return to the mound, but it could come sooner than expected. Through the first few months of the season, the expectation was that Ohtani would return at some point after the All-Star break. Now it seems like he could potentially return sooner than that.

Dave Roberts said to reporters there is a "north of zero" chance Ohtani joins the team's rotation before the All-Star break.

Ohtani has been building his arm up, throwing simulated games once a week. According to The Athletic, Ohtani threw 44 pitches in his most recent game in San Diego. He recorded six strikeouts and had 15 swing-and-misses.

What makes Ohtani’s return so fascinating, and a reason he could return sooner than expected is because he’s essentially a cheat code for the roster. Ohtani carries “two-way” roster status, so he wouldn’t count as a pitcher. The Dodgers can still carry 13 pitchers with Ohtani on the mound, so essentially you’re getting a free arm when he throws.

Here’s a hypothetical situation. Let’s say Ohtani is only built up to throw 60 pitches. You could have him start a game, go three innings, and then go to maybe Emmet Sheehan in relief where he can give you 3-4 innings as well.

I’m not sure if the Dodgers have any plans of doing something like this, but it’s an option for them. It’s a cheat-code to essentially save the bullpen for a game while using two starters in one game.

Considering the All-Star Game is a month away and Ohtani is already throwing nearly 50 pitches, I don’t think it’s far fetched to see him return to the mound within the next few weeks. If I were to guess, he’ll throw in two more simulated games before the Dodgers make that decision. Even if he needs three more simulated games, we’re looking at the beginning of July for his return.

It’s been an ugly couple of months for the Dodgers and their rotation, but there is help on the way and it’ll be here sooner rather than later!