After primarily pitching out of the bullpen last season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been stretching out Justin Wrobleski as a starter this spring to prepare him for a potential role in their starting rotation.
The left-hander is competing with the likes of Emmet Sheehan and River Ryan for the final spot, which was created when Blake Snell reported to Camelback Ranch behind schedule because of left shoulder trouble and Gavin Stone suffered a setback.
Wrobleski has impressed for the most part this spring, and he may be a favorite to take that last spot in the rotation.
He has done that in part by finding success with a cutter that he rarely used during his stint as a relief pitcher last season, via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic:
“I kind of brought it back last year in spring training,” Wrobleski said. “Just didn’t have to throw it a bunch out of the bullpen. … It just opens up a lot, especially now that I have more confidence in the changeup.”
Wrobleski used his cutter nine times during a three-inning start against the Athletics last week, getting three swings-and-misses.
The 25-year-old brought back his cutter out of necessity as most successful starting pitchers have at least three effective pitches they can use it anytime. When he pitched as a reliever last year, Wrobleski mostly used a fastball and sinker.
He went 5-5 with 4.32 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 10.3 strikeouts per nine across 66.2 innings pitched in 24 games (two starts) in 2025. Wrobleski went on to throw five scoreless innings during the postseason.
Justin Wrobleski’s 2026 Spring Training stats
Through four Cactus League appearances (three starts) this spring, Wrobleski has gone 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 8.1 innings of work. He had thrown six scoreless innings prior to his start against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday, when he allowed five runs in just 2.1 frames.
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