Dodgers Weigh Gavin Stone, Emmet Sheehan for Sixth Starter Role
The Los Angeles Dodgers are preparing to add another starter to their rotation this weekend.
The more interesting question is which one.
With Los Angeles in the middle of a stretch of nine consecutive games without an off-day, the Dodgers plan to bring in a sixth starter during their upcoming series against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium. Gavin Stone and Emmet Sheehan have emerged as the most obvious candidates, and both have made strong cases in Triple-A.
It may sound like a simple scheduling move designed to give the regular rotation extra rest.
It could become something considerably more important.
Stone is approaching the end of his 30-day rehabilitation assignment after nearly two years away from a Major League mound. Sheehan, meanwhile, has been overpowering Triple-A hitters over his last three starts.
Whoever gets the assignment against Washington could receive an important opportunity to show the Dodgers what he can provide during September — and potentially beyond.
Dodgers Need Another Starter During Nine-Game Stretch
The reasoning behind the move is straightforward.
Los Angeles opened its current homestand Tuesday and will play nine straight days before its next scheduled day off.
Rather than force the existing starters to work on shorter rest, the Dodgers intend to insert another pitcher into the rotation sometime during the Nationals series. True Blue LA reported that Los Angeles plans to call up a sixth starter for the weekend.
That is nothing unusual for this organization.
The Dodgers have repeatedly used six-man configurations and spot starters to create extra recovery time, particularly with a rotation that has dealt with injuries throughout the season.
What makes this particular decision compelling is the timing.
Stone is almost out of rehab time.
Sheehan is pitching extremely well.
And September is when Los Angeles must begin figuring out exactly which pitchers belong in its postseason plans.
Gavin Stone Has Dominated His Rehab Assignment
Stone has done almost everything the Dodgers could have asked since beginning his rehab assignment Aug. 6.
Across four appearances for Triple-A Oklahoma City, the right-hander has a 1.54 ERA over 11⅔ innings, allowing only two runs while striking out 18 and walking just one.
His most recent outing may have been his best.
Stone worked four scoreless innings on Aug. 26, allowing only one hit and striking out five while throwing 58 pitches.
Over his final two rehab starts combined, he allowed one hit in seven scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and no walks.
Those numbers become even more encouraging when considering how long Stone has been away.
He has not pitched in a Major League game since Aug. 31, 2024.
Stone underwent major surgery on his right shoulder after the 2024 season and missed all of 2025 while recovering. Shoulder inflammation then delayed his attempted comeback again this year.
Simply getting back into competitive games was an accomplishment.
Now he is pitching well enough to make the Dodgers seriously consider putting him back on a Major League mound.
Friday Creates an Important Deadline for Stone
There is another factor Los Angeles cannot ignore.
Stone's 30-day rehab assignment expires Friday.
Because pitchers on Major League rehabilitation assignments can only remain there for a limited period, the Dodgers must make a roster decision once that window closes.
True Blue LA reports that Stone's rehab time is up Friday, meaning Los Angeles will need to return him to the 40-man roster whether he is immediately activated to pitch in the majors or handled through another transaction. Stone is currently on the 60-day injured list, so his return also requires a corresponding 40-man move.
That naturally makes him an intriguing candidate for the Nationals series.
The Dodgers already have to decide what to do with him.
Giving him the sixth-start opportunity could solve two questions at once.
But it is not necessarily automatic.
Emmet Sheehan Is Making His Own Strong Case
If Stone's case is built partly around timing, Sheehan's is built around performance and workload.
The 26-year-old has delivered three consecutive excellent starts for Oklahoma City.
During that stretch, Sheehan has allowed only one earned run in 17⅓ innings, striking out 24 while walking six.
His latest start came Saturday.
Sheehan allowed one run on five hits across 5⅔ innings, striking out seven and walking two.
That outing followed two more dominant performances, leaving Sheehan stretched out enough to provide a more traditional starter's workload if the Dodgers want length this weekend.
Stone, by comparison, topped out at four innings and 58 pitches in his latest rehab appearance.
That does not necessarily give Sheehan the advantage.
It does give the Dodgers something to consider.
Stone and Sheehan Offer Different Advantages
The decision may ultimately come down to what Los Angeles wants from the sixth-starter spot.
If the priority is evaluating Stone after his long road back from shoulder surgery, this weekend presents a logical opportunity.
His rehab assignment is ending anyway.
His performance has been excellent.
And the Dodgers need to determine what kind of role he can realistically handle over the final month.
If the priority is simply finding the pitcher most prepared to cover five or six innings right now, Sheehan may have the stronger argument based on workload.
He has already been throwing deeper into games.
His strikeout numbers have been excellent.
And he has recent Major League experience.
There is also no reason the decision has to determine the entire month.
One pitcher could start against Washington while the other eventually joins the Dodgers in another role.
Stone Was Previously Viewed as a Possible Bullpen Option
That is an important part of Stone's situation.
When MLB reported on his rehab progress last week, the expectation was that Stone could return in September but would likely be used out of the bullpen rather than immediately rejoining the regular starting rotation.
A spot start this weekend would not necessarily contradict that plan.
The Dodgers could use Stone to cover several innings against Washington, then move him into a multi-inning bullpen role for the remainder of September.
That could actually be an ideal way to ease him back into Major League competition.
Stone has not faced a Major League hitter in two years.
There would be little reason to immediately ask him for 90 or 100 pitches.
A four- or five-inning start followed by a transition into relief could allow Los Angeles to evaluate his stuff while continuing to carefully control his workload.
Sheehan Could Also Be Auditioning for October
Sheehan has his own postseason argument.
He has moved between starting and bullpen responsibilities before, giving the Dodgers flexibility that becomes especially valuable in October.
His recent Triple-A run shows his arsenal is playing well in a starting role.
But postseason rosters rarely require six traditional starters.
Los Angeles already has a potentially imposing October rotation built around Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow if all remain healthy.
Shohei Ohtani's pitching future remains uncertain, but the top of the rotation is already crowded.
That means pitchers such as Sheehan and Stone may be competing less for a permanent rotation spot and more for the role of multi-inning postseason weapon.
A pitcher capable of entering in the fourth or fifth inning and covering several frames can be enormously valuable in October.
This weekend could help the Dodgers determine which pitcher is better suited for that job.
Wrobleski's Role Provides Another Clue
Justin Wrobleski is no longer expected to occupy this particular starting spot.
The Dodgers activated Wrobleski on Tuesday after his own rehab assignment, but their plan is to use him in relief during September.
True Blue LA reports that Los Angeles sees that bullpen role as the likely way Wrobleski would contribute during the postseason as well.
That removes one obvious sixth-starter candidate from the immediate discussion.
It leaves Stone and Sheehan standing out even more prominently.
Dodgers Rotation Is Finally Operating From Depth
For much of the season, the Dodgers' pitching decisions were dictated by injury.
Now they are beginning to look more like choices.
Blake Snell is back and pitching extremely well.
Tyler Glasnow has returned and looked dominant in Detroit.
Yamamoto remains one of the club's frontline starters.
Skubal gives Los Angeles another ace.
Wrobleski is back as a bullpen option.
Stone is nearing activation.
Sheehan is dominating Triple-A.
Even Blake Treinen is reportedly approaching his return to the relief corps.
For a club that has spent significant portions of recent seasons searching for enough healthy pitching, this is a much better problem to have.
The challenge is figuring out how all of those pieces fit together.
Stone's 2024 Season Is Worth Remembering
It has been long enough that Stone's last healthy Major League season can almost feel forgotten.
Before undergoing shoulder surgery, Stone had developed into one of the Dodgers' most reliable starters in 2024.
He made 25 starts and posted a 3.53 ERA across 140⅓ innings.
That was his first extended run of success at the Major League level.
Then came surgery.
Then an entire lost season.
Then another setback this year.
His current rehab assignment represents his first real opportunity to demonstrate that pitcher still exists.
A start at Dodger Stadium this weekend would therefore carry considerably more meaning than the average September spot start.
The Dodgers Have Not Announced Their Choice Yet
That is the key caveat.
Los Angeles intends to add a sixth starter during the Washington series.
Stone and Sheehan are the leading candidates based on their current situations and recent performances.
But the Dodgers have not officially announced which pitcher will start, nor have they publicly declared that the decision is formally limited to only those two pitchers.
So the safest way to frame the story is not:
Dodgers deciding between Stone and Sheehan — confirmed.
It is:
Stone and Sheehan have emerged as the two most compelling options as the Dodgers prepare to add a sixth starter.
That distinction keeps the story accurate while preserving what makes the decision interesting.
A Small September Decision Could Have October Consequences
On the surface, this is about getting through nine straight games.
Give the established starters another day of rest.
Find someone to cover innings against Washington.
Move on.
But the Dodgers are entering the portion of the schedule where nearly every roster decision carries another question behind it:
Can this player help us in October?
Stone has spent nearly two years trying to get back.
Sheehan has spent the last three starts forcing his way back into the conversation.
Both have reasons to believe they deserve the opportunity.
And with Stone's rehab clock expiring at almost exactly the same time Los Angeles needs another starter, the Dodgers may be approaching one of their more revealing pitching decisions of September.
If Stone gets the ball, it could mark the final step in a remarkable comeback.
If Sheehan gets it, his dominant Triple-A run may have simply become too difficult to ignore.
Either way, the sixth starter against Washington could tell us quite a bit about which pitcher the Dodgers currently trust most as they begin shaping their staff for the stretch run.