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The Dodgers are keeping Emmet Sheehan in the rotation. That’s the word from the club after Sheehan turned in another rough start Monday night in Philadelphia, allowing six runs — tying his season high — while also giving up two home runs, per staff reporting at DodgerBlue.com. The Dodgers lost 10-7, and it would have been reasonable to wonder whether the organization might consider a change. They’re not making one.

Sheehan came into 2026 looking to establish himself as a reliable mid-rotation arm after flashing that potential in earlier big league stints. The right-hander has the stuff — a fastball that plays up in the zone and a curveball that can be devastating when he commands it. But command has been the issue this year. Monday’s outing was the latest in a string of starts where Sheehan has struggled to put hitters away efficiently, and six runs allowed in fewer than six innings is not the kind of line that inspires confidence. Still, the Dodgers clearly see enough in his raw ability and believe the struggles are correctable rather than foundational.

Pitching into the sixth inning, even while allowing six runs, does show some durability and willingness to compete through trouble — that’s not nothing for a young starter. The two homers allowed tied his season high in that category as well, which suggests he’s leaving pitches in hittable spots, particularly elevated in the zone or over the middle of the plate. Those are mechanical adjustments the coaching staff presumably believes they can address.

The decision to stick with Sheehan makes sense when you look at the broader pitching picture. With Shohei Ohtani now dropped from the pitching rotation indefinitely due to knee pain, the Dodgers simply cannot afford to pull another arm out of the rotation without a clear replacement ready. The organization is already navigating significant pitching uncertainty, and yanking Sheehan after a bad start — even a few bad starts — would only create another hole to fill. That’s especially true with the trade deadline approaching and the front office reportedly exploring external pitching options.

I get the frustration. Watching Sheehan labor through starts while runs pile up is not fun, and it’s fair to wonder how long the leash can be. But this is the right call for now. You don’t panic-pull a young pitcher with his kind of arm talent when your rotation is already short-handed. The Dodgers need Sheehan to figure it out, and they’re giving him the runway to do it. If the struggles continue deep into August, that’s a different conversation. For now, he stays.

Source(s): Staff (DodgerBlue.com) | First reported: July 21, 2026 6:38 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers