With the new year right around the corner, it’s never to early to take a look ahead to the 2026 season for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Of course, the roster figures to look different a few months from now compared to the one currently existing. There’s even a chance one of the three mentioned within this piece gets dealt.

However, for the sake of the exercise, this article will break down three Dodgers who have a real shot at breaking out in 2026. Two of the players are youngsters — while a third is an established entity coming off a dreadful 2025 campaign.

Hyeseong Kim

Kim had a bit of a weird rookie year once transitioning over from South Korea.

He got off to a blistering start once being called up from Triple-A. Concerns over his inability to hit high velocity were temporarily cooled as Kim boasted an average north of .300 for months.

Once opposing teams made their adjustments, Kim’s numbers and involvement with the team plummeted. He essentially became a late-game defensive replacement rather than a spot starter down the stretch. Kim’s strikeout rate (30.6 percent) would’ve ranked him towards the bottom of the league for a full season.

Given that Tommy Edman is recovering from offseason ankle surgery, there’s a role for Kim to play right off the bat. The team wants to get younger, and now that he’s acclimated to the speed of the game stateside, a leap could very easily take place from Year 1 to Year 2.

Emmet Sheehan

Assuming Sheehan isn’t dealt in some deal for Tarik Skubal, he’s primed to have the best year of his young career in 2026.

He’s done enough to truly cement a spot within the loaded Dodgers rotation. In 2025, Sheehan set career-high numbers in several categories including innings pitched, ERA, strikeouts, and appearances.

Toggling back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen, Sheehan garnered valuable experience that will only benefit the 26-year-old moving forward. His advanced analytics illustrated someone that’s one of the best young pitchers in the sport.

Sheehan ranked above the 85th percentile in breaking run value, xERA, xBA, chase percentage, whiff percentage, and strikeout percentage. He garners terrific natural rise on his fastball, and the slider-changeup combination has proven to be hugely effective.

Don’t be shocked if he wins double-digit games this season. It also wouldn’t be shocking if Sheehan is among the team leaders in innings pitched in 2026.

Tanner Scott

Scott’s inclusion on this list stems from the fact he had a very poor 2025 by his standards.

After signing a massive free agent deal in the offseason, Scott blew 10 saves en route to accruing a 4.74 ERA. He didn’t feature for the Dodgers once during the postseason and that put a horrific bow on what was arguably the most challenging season of his career.

Assuming he’s now fully healthy, there’s reason for optimism to think he’ll bounce back nicely. Some of his underlying numbers were still excellent. Scott’s velocity didn’t dip in any real way. He’ll benefit once again from an elite support staff and system around him.

More than anything, the presence of Edwin Diaz should enable Scott to transition back to a setup role where he’s presumably more comfortable.

All of these factors line up with Scott having a big resurgence in 2026.