LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers were counting on Emmett Sheehan to be a critical part of their starting pitching depth this year.
Instead, his season is over before ever throwing a pitch.
The Dodgers announced Sheehan had UCL surgery in his right elbow on Wednesday and will miss the rest of the 2024 season. Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the procedure in Los Angeles.
Sheehan, 24, went 4-1 with a 4.92 ERA in 13 appearances (11 starts) for the Dodgers as a rookie last season. He had yet to pitch in a game this year due to forearm discomfort.
“It just wasn’t responding the way we had hoped,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So I think at that point in time, we just feel that with the information he was getting, that getting the surgery was the right was the right decision.”
A 6-foot-5, 220-pound right-hander, Sheehan showed swing-and-miss stuff in his debut last season with 64 strikeouts in 60 innings and made the Dodgers’ postseason roster. He entered spring training with a chance to win a spot in the starting rotation before being felled by injury.
He was in the process of rehabbing and recently played long toss at Dodger Stadium, but the lack of progress convinced the Dodgers that surgery was the best option.
“That’s something that is unfortunate to end his season,” Roberts said, “but we expect a full recovery.”
OHTANI BOBBLEHEAD DRAWS A CROWD
The Dodgers gave away Shohei Ohtani bobbleheads to the first 40,000 fans in attendance for Thursday night’s game against the Cincinnati Reds. Some went to extreme lengths to ensure they wouldn’t be left empty-handed.
Fans lined up outside the gates to enter Dodger Stadium more than four hours before first pitch, with the line stretching down the hill along Stadium Way. More tried to enter by driving into the parking lot, but were turned away with the gates still closed.
The cheapest individual ticket available on StubHub for the game cost $146, including fees, roughly 2½ hours before game time. In comparison, the cheapest available ticket for next Tuesday’s game, when the team is giving away Mookie Betts bobbleheads, was $59.
TAYLOR RETURNS TO LINEUP
Chris Taylor was back in the starting lineup against the Reds, batting seventh and playing left field. It was his first appearance since May 7.
Taylor, 33, entered the game batting .071 (4 for 56) with zero extra-base hits and 28 strikeouts in 68 plate appearances this season. Roberts said Taylor used the eight days out of the lineup to work on his swing mechanics and hopes to see a resulting improvement.
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“With Chris, there’s obviously been a lot of swing and miss in his game,” Roberts said. “I think for me, it’s the indecisiveness of when to swing, when not to swing. I think that this year there’s been the swing and miss and the indecision, whether it’s a take or a check swing. I don’t know if he’s guessing or he’s in between, but (I want to see) just sort of some clarity when he’s out in the batter’s box.”
ROSTER MOVES
The Dodgers recalled left-handed pitcher Nick Ramirez and optioned right-hander Eduardo Salazar prior to the series opener against the Reds.
Salazar, 26, pitched two innings with one run allowed in his Dodgers debut against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday.
Ramirez, 34, has posted a 1.29 ERA in five appearances over two stints with the Dodgers this year. He gives the bullpen a fresh arm with the team in the midst of a stretch of playing 13 days in a row.
UP NEXT
Reds (RHP Frankie Montas, 2-3, 4.20 ERA) at Dodgers (LHP James Paxton, 5-0, 2.58 ERA), Friday, 7:10 p.m. SportsNet LA, KLAC 570 AM
