The Los Angeles Dodgers have a plethora of Major League-caliber starting pitching talent in their organization heading into the 2026 season.
Not only are there the likes of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Emmet Sheehan, and potentially a revitalized Roki Sasaki, but also those returning from injury, such as Gavin Stone and River Ryan.
The Dodgers have not yet committed to how many starters they will carry in 2026, but not everyone is going to fit on the Opening Day roster even with a six-man rotation.
Yamamoto, Snell, Ohtani and Glasnow are all locks for the rotation, which leaves two potential open spots to be filled through competition during Spring Training and Cactus League play. Regardless of or not those two are filled by Ryan and Stone, manager Dave Roberts is excited for them to make an impact at some point in 2026.
“It’s exciting,” Roberts said of their respective returns. “I think it’s easy to talk about the guys that we have sort of slotted in as far as starters, but guys like River, Gavin, two years ago Gavin threw the most innings as a starter for a championship team. River is very talented.
“And then you layer in Wrobo and what he did for us, and Emmet Sheehan. So we’ve got guys that are on the come, guys that have done it. I just think it speaks to how well-equipped we are for not only this year but beyond.
“But I’m excited for River, excited for Gavin, because to see your teammates celebrate and go through what we went through, and not be able to participate, those are things we’re all betting on for their extra hunger to make an impact in 2026.”
The presence of Sasaki, Sheehan, Stone and Ryan in the organization pairs nicely with the highly experienced and proven arms.
Whoever doesn’t make the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster will still have an important role as insurance, given how much time Glasnow and Snell missed last season.
Additionally, there is the chance that Stone or Ryan could make a temporary transition to the bullpen if the need arises, similar to Justin Wrobleski in 2025.
Dodgers don’t expect limitations for Gavin Stone and River Ryan
General manager Brandon Gomes said the Dodgers expect Stone and Ryan to have a relatively straightforward year in terms of buildup and being able to handle a regular workload in 2026.
Stone is the more established pitcher of the two, with a solid 2024 rookie season under his belt. The 27-year-old anchored the rotation for most of the year with a 3.53 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 116 strikeouts in 140.1 innings pitched.
Ryan made his MLB debut in 2024 because of injuries to the starting rotation. He only made four starts before suffering an injury of his own, but showed plenty of potential.
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