Shohei Ohtani’s return the mound captured the attention of the baseball world this week. Based on the level of media coverage it got, you wouldn’t know Ohtani only threw one inning for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the San Diego Padres on Monday.

Ohtani threw 28 pitches, faced five batters, and surrendered one run on two hits in his first pitching appearance since August 23, 2023.

Regardless of how he performed, Ohtani’s return to the bump is a massive deal. Part of the reason the Dodgers dished out a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract to Ohtani in December of 2023 was because they believed in his ability to continue as a two-way superstar after undergoing a hybrid version of Tommy John surgery.

Ohtani did not toe the rubber in 2024, but made up for it by posting the first 50-50 season in Major League Baseball history.

Now, he’s back on the mound, this time in a Dodgers uniform. But weirdly enough, Ohtani wasn’t the only massive Dodgers pitcher to come back this week. It may not even have been the most important return in terms of 2025 impact, either.

Emmet Sheehan was also back on the mound for the Dodgers this week after being greatly missed for over a year.

Emmet Sheehan’s Dodgers return

Emmet Sheehan was the No. 15 prospect in the Dodgers organization heading into the 2023 season. He was a sixth-round pick out of Boston College in the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft, but he quickly found success at every level of the minor leagues.

A strong first half of the season led to Sheehan making his Major league debut at 23 years old for the Dodgers in June of 2023. He really shined down the stretch, posting a 3.19 ERA over his final seven starts before the playoffs.

Sheehan had Tommy John surgery last May and missed the entire 2024 season as a result. It’s always hard to judge how a pitcher is going to bounce back from a serious injury like that, but the Dodgers are very pleased with how Sheehan has recovered. His return could not have come at a more ideal time.

Sheehan made his season debut, starting Wednesday night’s game against the San Diego Padres that resulted in a 4-3 win at Dodger Stadium. He tossed four innings, allowed one run on three hits, did not walk anybody, and struck out six Padres hitters.

“Emmet was fantastic,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts about Sheehan’s season debut. “I thought going into it tonight, trust his stuff, be on the attack with his mix. And he did just that. He flooded the zone, kept them on their heels.”

The Dodgers have been banged up on the pitching front all year long. Roki Sasaski, Tony Gonsolin, Tyler Glasnow, and Blake Snell are all on the Injured List right now. That has absolutely gutted the Dodgers’ starting rotation depth.

Ben Casparius is not stretched out as a starter, the Dodgers need to be careful with Shohei Ohtani, and Clayton Kershaw has only pitched into the sixth inning one time this season. To sum it all up, the Dodgers need some reliable innings. Sheehan’s return gives that to them.

If Sheehan keeps throwing like he did on Wednesday, it won’t matter what Ohtani is able to offer on the pitching side of things. It will also be only less arm that Andrew Friedman needs to trade for at the deadline. And while the righty was demoted on Thursday, the move seems to be temporary/taking advantage of a technicality; he’ll more than likely return soon after putting more innings under his belt.

While Ohtani is taking all the headlines, Emmet Sheehan is the Dodgers pitching return that carries the most weight.