LOS ANGELES -- When the Dodgers looked to be constructing one of the most talented rotations in the Majors on paper this past offseason, the name Emmet Sheehan wasn't very high on the depth chart.
After all, he was recovering from Tommy John surgery, and less-established pitchers working their way back from long-term injuries can be somewhat out of sight, out of mind.
But the Dodgers' organization remained enthusiastic about Sheehan, especially when he really began ramping up his rehab during spring. The 25-year-old right-hander showed why he could be a secret weapon for L.A. in a strong season debut before Will Smith walked off the Padres with a pinch-hit homer in Wednesday night's 4-3 win at Dodger Stadium.
Sheehan struck out six and allowed one earned run on three hits across four innings. He did not walk a batter and landed 43 of his 65 pitches for strikes, topping out at 96.7 mph and averaging 95.2 on his four-seamer.
"Emmet was fantastic," manager Dave Roberts said. "I thought going into it tonight, trust his stuff, be on the attack with his mix. And he did just that. He flooded the zone, kept them on their heels."
It was Sheehan's first big league outing since Game 1 of the 2023 NL Division Series against the D-backs -- the final appearance of his rookie year.
In between then and now, Sheehan has put in a lot of work to get back to the Dodger Stadium mound. He was not only grateful to be back, but also for the people who helped get him to this point.
"We had a really good group in Arizona this year," Sheehan said, "so it was good to spend time with those guys and not have to go through it alone. That was big. It definitely meant a lot to get back out there, and to watch what the team did last year was really special and definitely motivated me to get back out there."
Sheehan pitched through some light traffic in his first two innings. He worked around a Luis Arraez single in the first and allowed a leadoff double to Jake Cronenworth in the second. Sheehan nearly got Elias Díaz to ground out to get out of the inning cleanly, but the sharp grounder ate up Tommy Edman at second base and caromed into right field for an RBI single.
But after Díaz's run-scoring knock, Sheehan set his final seven batters down in order, including five via strikeout. He ended his night by striking out the side in the fourth.
Sheehan is just 13 months removed from his Tommy John surgery in May 2024. The typical recovery timetable is between 12-18 months, making this a relatively quick return to action. The Dodgers had been debating whether to give him a fifth Minor League rehab start before bringing him back, but they ultimately decided there was a need for him at the big league level.
In his return, Sheehan showed why that decision made sense.
"I just trust his head," Roberts said. "He’s not afraid. He’s not going to run from it. And he’s going to trust his stuff. And he did that tonight."