Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki's future MLB prospects could be in jeopardy

22-year-old Lotte ace Roki Sasaki of the Nippon Professional Baseball league suffered an injury setback this week. Per Hochi Sports, Sasaki has been removed from the active roster due to some discomfort in his pitching arm.

Sasaki has struggled to stay healthy this season, also dealing with a lower-body issue, as the team explained.

"The conditioning of his right upper leg was poor. It was a comprehensive decision made after his conditioning check after his appearance revealed that his upper leg was not in perfect condition."

When healthy, Sasaki is one of the most talented right-handed pitchers in the world. He starred for Team Japan in the last World Baseball Classic, and wants to make a move to MLB as soon as humanly possible.

Roki Sasaki's latest injury puts MLB timeline in question

Sasaki wanted to be posted this winter, following in the footsteps of Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga, who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs respectively.

"I have the desire to play in the U.S. Major Leagues in the future," Sasaki said. "I've been communicating every year. I believe the club understands it, too."

Because Sasaki is expected to be posted before his 25th birthday, he won't be eligible for a megadeal like Yamamoto's, thus making him an even more intriguing prospect for MLB teams. Sasaki is considered by many to be a better overall prospect than Yamamoto was, but he can be signed for a far cheaper price tag. Shohei Ohtani was subject to the same rules given he signed with the Los Angeles Angels prior to his 25th birthday in 2017.

Early expectations were that Sasaki would be posted this winter, and that the Los Angeles Dodgers would be favored to sign him due to his connection with Ohtani and Yamamoto. Now, however, Sasaki has struggled to stay healthy in 2024.

At such a young age, it's important for Sasaki to focus on his own health and the season ahead, rather than forcing his way to the states fresh off an oft-injured season.

Sasaki has an ERA of 1.96 on the year, but could be out of the running for major NPB awards due to a lack of availability so far this season.