Dodgers roster: Matt Sauer optioned to AAA, Emmet Sheehan off IL

Emmet Sheehan was activated off the 60-day injured list to start Wednesday night against the Padres, and to make room on the active roster, the Dodgers optioned Matt Sauer to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Sauer pitched 2⅓ innings of bulk relief on Tuesday night against San Diego, allowing three runs in a wild win over the Padres.

Last week Sauer’s personal stats took a hit as he ate up as many outs as he could in a Honeywellian lost cause on June 20, allowing as many runs in his 4⅔ innings as he did in his first 20⅔ frames in the majors this season.

He heads back to Oklahoma City now with a 6.18 ERA, 22 strikeouts, and eight walks in 27⅔ innings this season. Notably, this marks the fourth time Sauer was optioned to the minors since the domestic regular season began, meaning he can only ride the up-and-down once more before having to be exposed to waivers to send back down to Triple-A.

Sheehan will be making his first major league appearance since Game 1 of the 2023 National League Division Series, after rehabbing from hybrid Tommy John surgery and internal brace procedure on his right elbow last May.

Activating him from the 60-day injured list required space on the 40-man roster, but that was already vacated when right-hander José Ureña was designated for assignment on June 10.

Heavy reliever usage over the first two games of this series leaves the Dodgers with scant options to pitch behind Sheehan outside of Justin Wrobleski, who will be on five days rest after throwing 66 pitches in 4⅓ innings of relief last Friday.

“I feel great with what we’ve done. Emmet’s going to start [Wednesday], which is exciting, and Wrobo is going to pitch bulk,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters after Tuesday’s game, as shown on SportsNet LA. “Then we’ll kind of see where we go from there.”