Ryan Pepiot’s 2023 season has not gone according to plan.
Pepiot entered spring training free of expectations, knowing the Dodgers had five solid starters likely to fill out the rotation to start the year. Then, very early on, Tony Gonsolin went down with an ankle injury, and it became clear that the Dodgers’ rotation was going to have an opening.
The battle was mainly between two guys — Pepiot and Michael Grove — but in the end, it was Pepiot getting the nod, a moment he called the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.