Originally published by DodgerBlue.com
Emmet Sheehan was among the Los Angeles Dodgers prospects who made their MLB debut during the 2023 season and took on a bigger role than expected due to several injuries that plagued the rotation.
The right-hander was mired by inconsistencies as he went 4-1 with a 4.92 ERA, 4.85 FIP, 1.19 WHIP and 9.5 strikeouts per nine over 13 games (11 starts).
Sheehan has been delayed this spring due to shoulder soreness that stemmed from a bullpen session last month that was notable for Shohei Ohtani tracking pitches in the batter’s box.
After being shut down for roughly a week, Sheehan has resumed throwing, per Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
Emmet Sheehan has also resumed his throwing program the past few days after being shut down for a week with shoulder soreness.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently said that he doesn’t anticipate the body soreness having any impact on Sheehan’s preparation to be ready for Opening Day, but time is running out for the right-hander to make sure he’s ready.
“Emmet is coming along well. He threw that ‘pen to Shohei and then another one a few days ago, and just a little body soreness,” Roberts revealed. “I think it was a couple days of no throwing. I’m not sure when he’s going to pick up a baseball again, but there was just overall soreness.
“Nothing alarming. Truth be told, I think when he got in there against Shohei, he might’ve ramped it up a little bit more because he was in the batter’s box. So just a little sore. Nothing serious.”
Emmet Sheehan was in contention for rotation spot
While Sheehan presumably is unlikely to pitch in the Seoul Series, he could potentially be ready for the Dodger Stadium home opener on March 28. However, Gavin Stone may ultimately be in line to fill the final rotation spot as he has had a solid spring and is more built up than Sheehan.
Ryan Yarbrough or Michael Grove could also be an option to start.
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