"Blake Snell might have a problem with it" - Dave Roberts addresses 6-man pitching rotation for Dodgers ft. Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto

A six-man pitching rotation is unprecedented, but given the depth of the Dodgers' starting rotation — with Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow returning from injuries — it will be interesting to see if the franchise takes an unconventional approach in 2025.

The Dodgers currently have a flurry of starting pitchers, which includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto, recently signed Blake Snell, Ohtani, Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw (if they re-sign him), Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin. This six-man are projected to be the starting rotation for the club in 2025.

Talking about it on MLB Network, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said:

"I think that, you know, once Shohei gets back, that's going to be a six-man or six-day rotation. And then Yoshinobu— I think we did a great job keeping him on his schedule."

One pitcher who may have a problem with the idea could potentially be Blake Snell, who signed a five-year, $182 million deal with the club a few weeks back.

"I think the guy we just signed, Blake Snell, might have a problem with it, you know, as far as what he's used to," Roberts added (6:50 onwards). "So, obviously, we're going to have some conversations."

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts feels extra rest is more important than a couple of more handful starts

In case, the Dodgers do implement the idea of a six-man pitching rotation; it would mean, fewer starts than a pitcher would have in a five-man rotation individually. However, Roberts believes it shouldn't be a big deal.

"To your point, Jake, guys have bought into the idea that, hey, 28 starts versus 31 starts—it’s not that big of a deal," Roberts said. "And that extra rest will keep you fresher throughout October. "I do think we’ve had enough of a sample size from certain guys to see that they felt stronger going into the postseason."

Shohei Ohtani, who didn't pitch the entire 2024 season, is set to return to the mound again, flashing his arm in 2025. He will be coming off an elbow surgery he underwent in Sept. 2023 and with lots of months to recover. It will be fascinating to watch him do two-way things for the Dodgers.