Dodgers Announce Pitching Rotation to Kick Off 2026
Los Angeles Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts officially announced the starting rotation for the beginning of the 2026 season. The Dodgers’ latest round of cuts eliminated River Ryan from contention, leaving Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki and Shohei Ohtani to serve as their starters. Roberts also noted Justin Wrobleski will be available as a piggyback, but should make some appearances as a starter as well.
Yamamoto will start Opening Day and Ohtani will start the fifth game of the season next Tuesday, but the Dodgers haven’t announced any other dates for pitchers. Oct 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates with pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) and pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) after winning in the eighteenth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in game three of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images While this rotation is a strong one, the Dodgers are still without a couple of key players.
Blake Snell is yet to pitch in a competitive game this year as he recovers from shoulder inflammation which bothered him throughout the offseason, and Gavin Stone has the same issue after making a couple of appearances this spring. The Dodgers are still fine without those two, and will only get stronger upon their arrival. FanGraphs projects the Dodgers to be the fourth best team in MLB in terms of rotation fWAR, and has them as the best team in their division in that regard by a wide margin.
LA will look to capitalize on their strength to find their way into the postseason and help them on their way to a third consecutive World Series title. What do you think of the Dodgers’ Opening Day rotation?