Sasaki and Sheehan? Who will secure the final spot in the Dodgers' starting rotation?

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani... and then who?

This is the question the Dodgers need to answer with about three weeks left in spring training. They know the aforementioned three will be in the Opening Day rotation, while Blake Snell and Gavin Stone will be absent, leaving two or three spots up for grabs.

With Emmet Sheehan making his spring training debut in today's 7-5 win over Team Mexico, the Dodgers have now seen all rotation candidates in game action. Here are four starting pitchers to watch before Opening Day:

Roki Sasaki

Among these four, Sasaki appears to be the most certain for the Dodgers' Opening Day rotation. However, his performance in a small sample size this spring has raised questions about whether this is the right move for him and the team.

Sasaki's most recent outing was particularly inconsistent: he gave up a grand slam, was pulled after facing five batters, then re-entered to pitch two more innings, retiring six consecutive batters.

The Dodgers remain confident in him, but they expect to see signs of progress during spring training. If not, it could open the door for other rotation contenders.

Manager Dave Roberts' view: "I think he needs to keep improving. I appreciate that he's been more open this year. He expresses his thoughts, which I think is great. But I do feel he still needs guidance and more experience. Ultimately, though, there's nothing to worry about."

Emmet Sheehan

Sheehan's return from Tommy John surgery was one of the best stories for the Dodgers last year. He returned to the major league mound in June, posting a 6-3 record with a 2.82 ERA over 15 appearances (12 starts).

Early in spring training, Sheehan's throwing program was delayed due to injury, making his first exhibition appearance only today, allowing 1 run on 3 hits with 2 walks over 1.1 innings.

Sheehan is a key piece for the Dodgers and should secure a spot this year, though his role is yet to be determined. He still has enough time to build up to a starter's workload, but a long-relief role is also a possibility.

Roberts' view: "I believe in him. He's in good shape, strong, and smart. His fastball plays, and he can get both right-handed and left-handed hitters out. He knows what he needs to do. Now it's about letting him build up gradually and giving him the chance to help us."

Justin Wrobleski

Wrobleski excelled after moving to the bullpen last year, finishing with five scoreless innings in the World Series. He was one of the first names mentioned by the front office as a potential replacement for Snell and has looked sharp this spring, with three scoreless innings.

If Wrobleski doesn't make the rotation, he would be the Dodgers' top long-relief option. He could pair with Shohei Ohtani early in the season, as the two-way star is only hitting and has limited opportunities to build up his arm in Cactus League games.

Roberts' view: "I think the reliever mentality has been good for him psychologically and for his pitch mix, helping him attack the zone and put hitters on the defensive. He's done that. I believe it can translate to pitching two, three, four, or five innings."

River Ryan (No. 6 prospect)

Ryan made his major league debut just over a year ago, but according to MLB Pipeline, he is the Dodgers' top pitching prospect. Recovering from Tommy John surgery, he is expected to compete full-force for a rotation spot this spring.

As is often the case with pitchers returning from Tommy John surgery, Ryan needs to rediscover his command. After more than half of his pitches missed the zone in his first outing, Ryan showed improvement yesterday, throwing 19 strikes out of 28 pitches.

Roberts' view: "I feel like the pitches he missed were the right kind of misses. His mechanics are sound. He can throw a devastating breaking ball to get outs. He gets ahead in counts. His tempo is good. The mound presence is there too. Everything looks like a big league pitcher."