The Los Angeles Dodgers have one of the best starting rotations in baseball, and if they three-peat, it will be through this group of pitchers.
Dodgers 2026 rotation summary
Even before adding Tarik Skubal to the mix, the Dodgers came off a generational starting performance in the 2025 postseason run.
They looked poised to build on it, and while injuries have rocked the team all year, adding Tarik Skubal gives this group the ability to complete a special run.
However, injuries and some inconsistency kept things from being perfect over the regular season. Here are Dodgers Nation’s pitching rotation grades:
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Yamamoto pitched the most innings on the Dodgers as a starter. He made 28 starts, totaling 185 innings, with a 2.53 ERA and a 3.33 FIP.
He did a great job of limiting walks, allowing just 2.04 walks per nine innings, while also allowing minimal hits, with just a 0.87 WHIP.
An efficient, consistent presence in the rotation amid a sea of injuries, Yamamoto was the MVP of the rotation, establishing himself as the ace of an elite group.
All that is missing for Yamamoto is an even lower ERA or higher strikeout totals to get his hands on the Cy Young award.
Grade: A
Justin Wrobleski
Wrobleski, who came up as a long-relief bullpen arm, entered the starting rotation because of injuries and the need for a six-man rotation to protect the arms.
He shined in the first half of the season and earned an All-Star spot. However, after the break, things fell apart, and he lost his spot in the rotation; even during his shift to the bullpen, Wrobleski has struggled.
Wrobleski ends the year with a 3.58 ERA and a league-average 4.23 FIP. He got away with an aggressive pitching style, and while it got away from him, he played a big role in the team reaching 100 wins.
Grade: C+
Roki Sasaki
After a terrible Spring Training, Sasaki looked poised to be a disaster in the rotation if his command and fastball movement did not change.
Things were fine to start the year, albeit underwhelming compared to how highly touted he was. Sasaki would go on to discover a conventional splitter that he could throw for strikes and got a lot of whiffs.
In the second half of the season, Sasaki has been a good starter, ever since his fastball found some new life. With a promising slider as well, the Japanese pitcher had a good season to build off of.
Grade: A-
Emmet Sheehan
Heading into the year, Sheehan was pegged as a breakout pitcher, but nothing took off.
He had some good outings, but the velocity and mechanics were so inconsistent that he lost his rotation spot once Tarik Skubal was added.
His 4.79 ERA and 4.87 FIP aren’t great, but his 10.35 strikeouts per nine innings shows his stuff is still in there, somewhere.
Grade: D
Shohei Ohtani
It is tough to grade Ohtani given his time as a starter was cut short, but when he did pitch, he was absolutely amazing.
An amazing 1.79 ERA and 2.61 FIP, alongside a 2.9 fWAR as a pitcher, highlight why, despite his limited innings total compared to other starters, he was a Cy Young-caliber arm.
Sadly, he pitched just 85.2 innings that total, and with him being shut down from pitching in the postseason, the injury will ding Ohtani’s season on the mound.
Grade: B+
Tyler Glasnow
Glasnow showed some of his best stuff as a Dodger during the first few months of action before back spasms forced a month of missed time, followed by an underwhelming return.
At his best, the curveball was electric and brought back shades of Clayton Kershaw’s wipeout 12-6.
A 3.53 ERA and a 2.74 FIP are both good and show some bad luck, but his season will be marred by the extended layoff, during which Glasnow could have really pushed himself.
Grade: C+
Eric Lauer
Lauer came in the middle of an injury crisis and with his MLB career on the ropes to a certain extent. With the Dodgers, he delivered six wins, two losses, and a 4.92 ERA.
He had poor strikeout numbers, with a 6.05 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate, though he limited walks and managed to get past a high volume of hits.
Grade: A-
Tarik Skubal
Skubal pitched 62 innings in a Dodgers uniform, totaling a 2.61 ERA and a 2.36 FIP.
The production was great, though he had no signature outing that matched his best with the Tigers. Still, for a pitcher who has pitched at only one home ballpark all his career, he adjusted well.
Now comes the real test.
Grade: B
Blake Snell
Snell’s seven-game run after coming off the injured list was the best of any other starter over a similar span.
He returned with renewed command of the fastball, and his curveball ranked among the best in the rotation.
Along with his slider and changeup, Snell looked like a version of himself from before, which won the NL Cy Young back in 2026.
He pitched only 42.2 innings, but they were stellar and the best in a Dodgers uniform thus far.
Grade: A-
