The Los Angeles Dodgers are surrounded by plenty of buzz heading into their first full week of Cactus League games, as Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are both on the verge of making respective 2024 Spring Training debuts.
Elsewhere in camp, Walker Buehler is working on locking in his mechanics during bullpen sessions. There was the possibility Buehler would face hitters as his next step, but another bullpen session instead is on the docket.
Buehler not being part of the Dodgers’ Opening Day rotation is putting more of an emphasis on Bobby Miller and creating an opportunity for the likes of Emmet Sheehan, Michael Grove, Gavin Stone and Ryan Yarbrough.
Dodgers Spring Training updates
Bobby Miller’s first start
Thus far the Dodgers have started Stone, Landon Knack, Tyler Glasnow and Kyle Hurt in their Cactus League games. Yarbrough is the probable for Monday and Miller is poised to make his 2024 Dodgers Spring Training debut on Tuesday.
Miller’s start is scheduled to come at Camelback Ranch, when the Dodgers are the designated home team for their matchup with the Chicago White Sox.
That also appears to be when Ohtani is likely to make his Dodgers debut.
Emmet Sheehan recovering from soreness
Meanwhile, it figures to be around a minimum of one week before Sheehan makes his way into a Cactus League game. Ohtani stood in the batter’s box to track pitches during one of Sheehan’s recent bullpen sessions, and it wound up leading to some trouble for the right-hander.
“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,” Dodgers manager Dave 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.”
Roberts doesn’t anticipate the body soreness having any impact on Sheehan’s preparation to be ready for Opening Day.
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