The Los Angeles Dodgers will begin the quest for a three-peat on Thursday, March 26, against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers’ rotation still needs to be sorted out before the 2026 season gets underway, though.
Los Angeles has several pitchers competing for a spot on a pitching staff that could include seven different starters. Katie Woo of The Athletic reported that the team plans to enter the regular season with six to seven pitchers stretched out to handle a normal starter’s workload. Most of the names in the mix are familiar faces from the 2025 World Series-winning squad, but Woo also tabbed Gavin Stone as a candidate to break camp in the rotation.
It’s been a long journey back to the mound for the young righty. Stone made a brief debut in 2023, then emerged as one of the most promising arms in the organization in 2024. He delivered 25 starts with a 3.53 ERA and appeared to be a key cog in the rotation for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, he went down with a shoulder injury in August 2024. The injury ultimately required surgery that cost Stone all of 2025.
Gavin Stone Vying For Spot in Star-Studded Los Angeles Dodgers’ Rotation
The Dodgers’ rotation was led by Yoshinobu Yamamoto this past season. The Japanese superstar came through with an all-time performance in the World Series, tossing eight innings in Game 6, then returning for a pair of innings in Game 7. He earned World Series MVP honors for his efforts.
Blake Snell will be in the mix when healthy, but he’s currently taking his offseason progression slowly in an attempt to stay healthy. Tyler Glasnow is back after missing an extended stretch to close 2025. Shohei Ohtani will ramp up as a pitcher, even though he won’t throw in the World Baseball Classic. Assuming Snell isn’t ready to open the year, there are at least two spots up for grabs, and perhaps more.
Roki Sasaki is transitioning back to being a starter after spending the postseason as a late-inning reliever. The NPB import flamed out in the rotation last season, but that was partly due to a shoulder issue, and he pitched much better out of the bullpen. Emmet Sheehan is also penciled into a spot on the staff, either as a starter or long reliever. He’s a logical choice to fill Snell’s spot until he’s ready. If the club goes with a six-man look, Stone and River Ryan would be battling for the final slot. The former seems to have the inside track for the role.
Stone Showed Huge Promise Before Injury
It’s been quite some time since Stone has been on a big-league mound. He’s impressed so far in the spring, cruising through a scoreless frame on Tuesday, February 24, against the Cleveland Guardians. The righty picked up a pair of strikeouts.
Stone relies on a nasty changeup to generate swings and misses. The pitch had a healthy 37.2% whiff rate in 2024. He actually threw it slightly more than his fastball. It accumulated a +5 Run Value, per Statcast. Stone used four different pitches at least 14% of the time, with a slider and sinker complementing the four-seamer and changeup.
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