In the thick of what could be another championship run, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan has quietly positioned himself as a potential wildcard. The 25-year-old right-hander, sidelined for much of last season after Tommy John surgery, wasted no time making waves upon his June return. His first outing against the Padres was nothing short of commanding—four solid innings, striking out five while allowing just one run in a tense 4-3 walk-off victory. Indeed, that performance set the tone for what’s followed: a season line of 2.82 ERA over 73.1 innings, with 89 strikeouts against a mere 22 walks. Numbers like that don’t lie, even if the Dodgers’ star-studded rotation often overshadows them.
Sheehan’s path back wasn’t straightforward. Drafted in the sixth round out of Boston College in 2021, he burst onto the scene in 2023 with a 4.94 ERA in nine starts, showing flashes of the high-velocity stuff that scouts raved about. But the elbow injury hit hard, forcing a year of rehab that tested his resolve. Now, with the regular season wrapped and the playoffs underway, manager Dave Roberts has hinted at deploying him in high-leverage spots. His recent September gem against the Giants—retiring the side in order amid a wild pitch and an error—underscored his poise under pressure. Moreover, Sheehan’s ability to mix a mid-90s fastball with a sharp slider has kept hitters off-balance, limiting hard contact to under 42 percent.
However, questions linger about his workload. At just 73 innings pitched this year, ramping up for October could invite fatigue, especially in a Dodgers lineup already juggling aces like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow. Sheehan himself has downplayed the hype, crediting the team’s depth for easing his transition. Still, in a postseason where every arm counts, his emergence feels like a calculated edge—one that could tip the scales in tight series.
Yet as the Dodgers chase another ring, Sheehan’s story reminds us how resilience often defines the real heroes of the diamond.