Roki Sasaki was the latest Japanese pitcher the Los Angeles Dodgers turned to in their attempt to keep their aging bullpen young. And while they were wise to add a phenom, and getting him at a bargain at that, their approach to his first season in MLB hasn’t been the best. In fact, they just might be causing him long term issues without realizing it.
Sasaki has halted his throwing program as he was rehabbing a shoulder injury. According to reports, there’s no timetable for his return. Sure that comes just as the Dodgers get optimistic news on Shohei Ohtani's pitching debut. Nonetheless, it’s a damper on a player that had so much excitement coming into the 2025 season.
The Dodgers went on a spending frenzy the last two offseasons for moments like this so while it is a blip, it’s not a major hang up for a team with one of the deepest pitching staffs in MLB this season. But maybe this injury or delay in his return could have been avoided if the Dodgers were a bit more patient with their potential future ace.
LA Dodgers learning patience is more important than urgency when it comes to unleashing Roki Sasaki
According to a story back in February from Sports Illustrated, the Dodgers had no plans of placing pitching restrictions on Sasaki, a 23-year old pitcher from Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. He’s in a unique situation because he was labeled as an amateur international free agent that signed a minor league contract because of his age and the fact that he hasn’t had six years of service yet.
The Dodgers got a deal and with their trend of developing some of the top arms in MLB, it was no surprise he landed there. LA was also quick to ink two Japanese stars in Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Sasaki hasn’t quite lived up to the hype in his first season with the Dodgers, though that’s not a knock on him. He’s made eight starts this year, posting a 1-1 record with a 4.72 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 24 strikeouts. He’s only averaging about three strikeouts per start, which isn’t eye-opening at all.
On top of that, he’s averaging about 74 pitches per inning. Though the Dodgers are only getting about five innings out of him, he’s throwing a decent amount of pitches per start. Could he benefit from more restrictions? Probably, especially now that his return is delayed, it’s something the Dodgers have to consider.
Should the Los Angeles Dodgers put more restrictions on Roki Sasaki after latest injury update?
The Dodgers would be wise to implement more restrictions. Maybe use him as a reliever for a few months and let him toss a few innings at a time to build some confidence before throwing him in for five-plus innings per start. Or if you do start him, don’t wait to turn to the bullpen.
Sasaki has a lot of potential, but that means nothing if the Dodgers put too much strain on him early in his career and his ceiling starts to cave in. This has to be a wake up call to Dave Roberts and pitching coach Mark Prior to maybe consider pumping the brakes on Sasaki.
The worst thing they can do is ruin his potential by overplaying him this early in his career. He’s only 23 years old and his first eight starts are a sign he’s not quite ready to be a long distance starter. That’s OK, but it means the Dodgers have to have a bit more patience with him or all the hype was for nothing.