The Los Angeles Dodgers are nearing October baseball once again, and although injuries have played a massive role this season, more key players are returning from their time on the shelf.
Right-hander Roki Sasaki, who has been nursing a shoulder injury since May, is finally nearing a return to the big leagues following an impressive showing on his rehab assignment. There is only one problem: the Dodgers rotation has been incredible lately. The spot that the young right-hander held back in May is no longer open.
Manager Dave Roberts recently spoke on the possibility that Sasaki can return to the team in a bullpen capacity, especially while monitoring a “calf situation” suffered on his most recent rehab outing.
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Roberts also said his impression is that Roki Sasaki would be open to pitching in relief, if that’s what the team requires.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) September 13, 2025
Sasaki’s willingness to return in any role is commendable, but Roberts was originally weary of a bullpen role, especially while trying to get the 23-year-old to replicate his recent command and velocity improvements.
“I think that Roki is … in a good place to do whatever it is to help the team,” Roberts said. “That (pitching out of the bullpen) would be something that would be completely odd to him so it would have to be a little bit of a leap of faith on his part as well.
“But I think that he understands how good the starting pitchers are pitching. He just wants to be a part of it. He’s worked really hard to get himself into a position to contribute.”
The leap of faith in question comes after his best Triple-A outing of the year. Sasaki struck out eight over 4.2 innings, allowing three runs and three hits. He walked four and hit 90 pitches, but he also generated 16 whiffs, something he hasn’t done in MLB or MiLB play.
Additionally, Sasaki showed an increase in his fastball velocity, averaging 98.6 mph on his heater, up 4.2 mph from his last start.
More news: Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki Dealing With Calf Issue, Heading Back on Rehab Assignment
Photo Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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