by Cary Osborne
Emmet Sheehan was standing in front of his corner locker at Dodger Stadium on Monday recalling his Major League debut. Then it dawned on him.
“It was two years ago today,” he said after realizing it.
Sheehan had one of the greatest Major League debuts by a Dodger pitcher — ever.
He no-hit the San Francisco Giants over six innings on June 16, 2023. And as fast as that day felt, so did that entire rookie season.
Then things slowed in 2024. Sheehan’s elbow was barking in Spring Training and continued to do so until finally he had Tommy John surgery on May 15.
Thirteen months later, he is back starting for the Dodgers against the Padres tonight.
For those Major League pitchers who have returned from Tommy John surgery this year, the time from their last MLB game to the next one has ranged from 12 months to 21 months, according to writer Jon Roegele (who has tracked all TJ surgery data). The average is 17 1/2 months.
“A lot of people have setbacks coming back from TJ, and then I just ended up, knock on wood, all going pretty smooth so far,” Sheehan said.
One month ago, before Sheehan even started his rehab starts in the Minor Leagues, manager Dave Roberts said the right-hander was coming quick. All the reports were coming back that he was mechanically in sync, the stuff was Major League quality and the health was strong.
Now he is thrust right into the final game of the Dodgers-Padres series with Roberts saying they need him to give the Dodgers length because of a taxed bullpen.
“I think that there’ll be some butterflies in there, as there should be,” Roberts said. “This is a big moment for Emmet. He’s had a long road to get back to pitching and pitching in a big league ball game. My expectation is for him to be on the attack.”
Looking outward, Roberts has high expectations in general for the 25-year-old. Sheehan appeared in 13 games as a rookie in 2023 and had a 4.92 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and averaged 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings. He allowed two runs or fewer in six of 11 starts. Another one of those starts was 4 2/3 no-hit innings against the Giants on Sept. 21, 2023.
“I think (the expectations have) grown in the sense that we liked his makeup, his toughness, his ability to repeat his delivery, the swing and miss stuff, the preparation. And so now you look back a couple years later, he’s much more physical,” Roberts said. “He’s had a chance to watch a lot of baseball, learn and then now apply it. So I think that still is that’s going to make him a better Major League pitcher.”
In the days after Sheehan was told he needed Tommy John surgery, he handled the news with disappointment but didn’t let it linger. It speaks to that makeup.
“There’s no point in being mad about it at that point,” he said. “Obviously, emotions happen, but yeah, I think just getting after it and getting right to work was the right way to go.”
He’s back at work tonight.
Emmet Sheehan is back on the launchpad was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.