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Emmet Sheehan delivered what might have been his most important start of the season against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, and he came away feeling good about it. After the outing, Sheehan said he “felt really good” and was “more comfortable” with his mechanics, per DodgerBlue.com. This was the start that mattered — Roberts had publicly put Sheehan’s rotation spot on notice after his previous disaster, where he gave up six runs on eight hits in just 3.1 innings.

Sheehan has been one of the more fascinating development stories in recent Dodgers history. The right-hander burst onto the scene in 2023 with a blazing fastball and a fearless approach, earning a spot in the postseason rotation as a rookie. But injuries — most notably a significant UCL issue that required surgery — derailed his momentum and cost him most of 2024. His return in 2025 and into 2026 has been a process, with flashes of the arm talent that made him so exciting mixed in with stretches of inconsistency. The mechanical issues that plagued his previous start were a real concern, because when Sheehan’s delivery gets out of sync, the results can unravel quickly. The fact that he identified the problem and made a tangible adjustment is encouraging.

The Dodgers have been openly searching for stability at the No. 2 spot in their rotation, and Sheehan has been the most obvious candidate to either claim or lose that job. Dave Roberts made it clear heading into this start that patience was running thin — a rare public challenge from a manager who typically plays things close to the vest. That kind of pressure can either sharpen a young pitcher or bury him, and to Sheehan’s credit, he responded.

I like what this says about Sheehan’s makeup. Plenty of young arms would have wilted with the manager essentially saying “perform or else” to the media before a road start against a division rival. Instead, he went out and found something mechanically that made him feel right. That’s the kind of resilience you need from someone you’re counting on in a rotation that already leans heavily on Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto at the top.

We still need to see more from Sheehan before anyone should feel fully comfortable slotting him into the No. 2 role for the rest of the season. One solid outing against the Padres doesn’t erase the broader inconsistency. But the alternative — burning through bullpen arms or rushing someone up from the minors — isn’t great either. For now, Sheehan bought himself more time, and more importantly, he sounds like he knows why this start was different. That matters. The Dodgers need him to be a reliable piece of this rotation, and this was a step in the right direction.

Source(s): Staff (DodgerBlue.com) | First reported: June 29, 2026 3:20 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers