Roki Sasaki’s Injury Adds to Dodgers’ Pitching Woes
May 13, 2025, 10:01 PM ET
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers, a team that has been riding high on the talents of its promising rookie, Roki Sasaki, has hit a bump in the road. Sasaki, who has been a beacon of hope for the Dodgers’ pitching staff, has been placed on the injured list due to a right shoulder impingement. This is an injury that echoes a similar issue he faced during his time in Japan last year.
After his last start, Sasaki reported soreness in his arm. This was particularly concerning as it came after he pitched on five days’ rest for the first time in the majors. In that outing, Sasaki managed to throw four innings but gave up five runs on 61 pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts shared some insights following an 11-1 loss to the Athletics. “What we gather is he’s felt some discomfort for the last few weeks,” Roberts explained. “But given where we’re at as a pitching staff, he wanted to continue to go and persevere and fight through everything until he felt that his performance was going to be compromised. That’s when he let us know where he was at physically.”
On Monday’s off day, Sasaki underwent scans that confirmed the problem. Unfortunately, there is no timeline for his return. “I don’t think that any expectation is fair to him,” Roberts stated, emphasizing the need for patience and understanding.
So far this season, Sasaki has a record of 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA in eight starts. He has struck out 24 batters in 34⅓ innings while holding opposing hitters to a .225 average. Sasaki was originally scheduled to start Thursday against the Athletics, but with his absence, the Dodgers are likely to opt for a bullpen game instead.
Roberts mentioned that Sasaki won’t be picking up a baseball for a while, which is a prudent move considering his history. The 23-year-old right-hander joined the Dodgers in January after a successful stint with the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Nippon Professional Baseball League. Last year, he was limited to 18 starts and 111 innings due to shoulder fatigue.
Roberts expressed a sense of relief that the scans showed a familiar issue. “We’re very grateful that with the scans that we took that it is similar to what he’s already been through before, so something familiar to him,” he said. “We just feel that with some rest, getting the strength back, getting back to his normal delivery that he’s going to be just fine.”
Sasaki made waves in Japan for his ability to throw 100 mph, and during his major league debut against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo in March, he repeatedly reached 99 mph in the first inning. However, since then, his fastball velocity has dipped to the mid-90s, which has been a point of concern.
“We’re still trying to have conversations to see where he’s at,” Roberts said. “At the end of the day, we want to make sure that he is performing up to his capabilities and up to our capabilities and our expectations. There’s a lot of kind of things that we’re trying to suss out right now with Roki.”
Despite the setback, Roberts is optimistic that Sasaki won’t need to spend time in the minors. “Our goal is to get him healthy, get him strong, make sure the delivery is sound and get him to pitch for us,” the manager said. “He hasn’t been as productive as he would have liked because he was compromised and so that’s kind of enlightening to all of us.”
Sasaki’s Dodger Stadium debut was cut short in the second inning due to control issues, a moment that was captured on Japanese TV, showing his disappointment. Going on the IL might just be the reset Sasaki needs.
- Roki Sasaki’s current stats: 1-1 record, 4.72 ERA, 24 strikeouts in 34⅓ innings.
- Other Dodgers pitchers on the injured list: Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow.
- Clayton Kershaw is set to make his season debut on Saturday.
“Obviously, we didn’t know what to expect this year, but to think he was going to go wire-to-wire given his track record and history of innings was probably unrealistic,” Roberts said. “This could be that little bit of reprieve in the middle of the season that we can get him back to being healthy, get him strong and a hundred percent and help us get through the World Series.”
In the meantime, the Dodgers have recalled right-hander J.P. Feyereisen for his second stint with the team. He gave up three runs and six hits in two innings of relief on Tuesday, highlighting the challenges the Dodgers face with their current pitching roster.
Originally Written by: ESPN.com
