The Los Angeles Dodgers will likely enter the 2024 season with a starting rotation that includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Bobby Miller and James Paxton in the first four slots.
The final spot could come down to whomever performs the best in Cactus League play between Emmet Sheehan, Michael Grove, Landon Knack, Kyle Hurt, Ryan Yarbrough and Gavin Stone.
The pitchers have experience in a variety of roles, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts suggested they will be built up as starters this spring.
“I think right now, where we’re at is there’s a lot of capable arms, as far as starters, and guys that we have put in spot start roles or relief roles,” Roberts said.
“And I think right now in Spring Training, the calendar is to build as many of those guys up, all those guys up, to kind of get them healthy, get their feet under them, build them up, build up the pitch counts.
“And you’re starting to look three, four, five weeks before we have to really make any type of decision, and a lot, as we’ve all learned, can change. So I think that right now to kind of try to plug these pieces in, it just doesn’t make any sense.
“So I think that right now, build them all up. From one inning, to two innings, to three things, to four innings and at that point in time, I think we’ll know more as time kind of goes on.”
After the starting rotation was a weakness in 2023, the Dodgers placed an emphasis on improving their pitching depth during the offseason. The current group is one of their deepest on paper in recent memory, which means several talented arms will likely begin the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Although the aforementioned pitchers are being built up as starters this spring, their role could change as the season progresses. Given their versatility on the mound, it is a safe bet that they will all see time in the Majors this year.
Landon Knack impressed for Dodgers against Padres
Roberts was hopeful to see Knack build on the team’s strong pitching performance from their first Cactus League game, and the Dodgers’ prospect did not disappoint. Knack recorded four strikeouts and got through two perfect innings.
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