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MLB.com's Dodgers X-factor is drawing comparisons to Gerrit Cole after just 4 starts

Emmet Sheehan, Gavin Stone, and River Ryan are the leading contenders to earn a place on Dodgers' Opening Day roster, either as a de facto sixth-starter or a long reliever.

Sheehan did everything he could to make himself look like the obvious choice last year — 73 1/3 innings for a 2.82 ERA, 147 ERA+, and 0.968 — but Andrew Friedman has already identified Stone and Ryan as the two injury returns he's most excited to see play out.

Stone was the Dodgers' innings leader in 2024; he anchored their beleaguered rotation before going down with shoulder inflammation in September and undergoing surgery that sidelined him in 2025.