Dodgers' concerning issue should have Dave Roberts begging for trade reinforcements

For over two years, we’ve watched Dave Roberts’ Los Angeles Dodgers run over everything in their way, with no roadblock — not even the annual rash of pitcher injuries — enough to derail baseball’s latest dynasty. However, the Dodgers might have finally encountered an obstacle that the current roster cannot overcome: themselves.

Dalton Rushing and Roki Sasaki each went viral over the last week for their reactions amid personal struggles. Roberts and first baseman Freddie Freeman needed to console Rushing after an in-game feud with Shohei Ohtani, who eventually opted to call his own pitches rather than listen to his catcher. Sasaki allowed five walks in Friday’s loss to the rival Padres, and television cameras caught him seemingly on the verge of tears in the Dodgers’ dugout. 

It’s one thing to be frustrated when things don’t go your way, but Rushing and Sasaki’s public displays raise the question of whether they can mentally handle the forthcoming pressure.

Dave Roberts and the Dodgers might have serious problems with Dalton Rushing and Roki Sasaki

Before going any further, we must make it clear that none of this is intended to be dismissive or ignorant of mental health issues. 

With that said, mental strength and the ability to right the ship during a rocky period are pivotal to any athlete’s success. We’ve seen the likes of Rick Ankiel, Chuck Knoblauch, and Daniel Bard all battling the “yips,” which affected their accuracy — and, in Knoblauch’s case, may have accelerated how fast his bat fell off.

Bard, once an elite shutdown reliever with the Red Sox, didn’t pitch in an MLB game for seven years. Ankiel eventually gave up pitching and became a full-time outfielder with the Cardinals and Braves, among other teams.

We’ve seen many a frustrated athlete toss their bat, throw their glove against the dugout wall, or slam their tablet to the ground. David Ortiz even destroyed a dugout phone with his bat after a 2013 ejection. So we acknowledge that criticizing Rushing and Sasaki, at least on its face, might seem unfair.

Those incidents are far simpler than what we’ve seen from Sasaki and Rushing, and even more so with the former. Since arriving stateside last year, Sasaki’s career has been marred by poor control and an apparent inability to compose himself, buckle down, and throw strikes. Ohtani was so irritated with Rushing that the typically humble two-way superstar publicly called out the catcher when speaking with reporters. 

The Dodgers do not have the time or bandwidth to let these two figure it out. With roughly five weeks until the trade deadline, Roberts and the Dodgers must pivot to adding veterans who are comfortable performing on a championship-caliber team and can be depended on come October. 

There is no reason to believe that Rushing or Sasaki could help the Dodgers in a playoff game, not if they can’t stay cool in late June. Los Angeles entered play Sunday with baseball’s best record and a commanding nine-game NL West lead. 

Unfortunately for the Dodgers, Will Smith’s lingering neck injury means that Rushing’s big-league roster spot is likely safe unless a trade is made — and the Dodgers need to move quickly, even if it means acquiring a struggling veteran like the Reds’ Jose Trevino.

The same goes for Sasaki and his rotation spot. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are both on the injured list and have extensive injury histories, so adding another starter has always made sense. But the Dodgers cannot go into October without having a proven, battle-tested starter working alongside Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Rushing is still only 25, and Sasaki doesn’t turn 25 until November. But if they can’t master what it takes to handle the mental aspect of being a big-league player, it’ll be hard to blame anyone who writes them off for good. 

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