The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 14-11 on Friday night in what quickly became an offensive slugfest. Few teams are better equipped to win in a shootout than the Dodgers, but L.A.'s constant mixed results on the mound are a problem.
As the injuries pile up, the Dodgers are dealing with another encroaching insufficiency in the rotation: Rōki Sasaki just does not have it. He allowed five hits, two walks and five earned runs in Friday's game. Los Angeles won, but that does not overshadow another middling performance from the offseason's biggest non-Juan Soto prize.
It's time for the Dodgers to consider a drastic measure with the 23-year-old.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.
Dodgers need to consider demoting Rōki Sasaki to the minors — for now
After Juan Soto locked up his historic $765 million contract with the New York Mets, all attention this past offseason was directed to Sasaki. He was billed as the most exciting Japanese prospect since Shohei Ohtani. Since he was signing as an amateur, rather than a professional, he was only eligible for international bonus pool money — not the $325 million megadeal Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed the season prior.
Months of speculation ended with Sasaki landing right alongside Ohtani and Yamamoto on the Dodgers. While he was still viewed as a work in progress at 23, Sasaki also was billed as a day-one starter. The Dodgers treated him accordingly.
Sasaki was a bonafide ace across the Pacific in NPB, but he also dealt with shoulder injuries and a recent decline in velocity. Consequently, there were concerns about his durability and whether his stuff would translate. Most folks happily waved those concerns off as minor nitpicks for an otherworldly talent, but so far, the issues have far outweighed the positives. Sasaki is struggling to pitch deep into games, and his fastball in utterly juiceless.
He recorded zero whiffs on his fastball in Friday's game and holds the sixth-worst whiff percentage (10.1) on four-seam fastballs in MLB this season.
While Sasaki can still coax swings and misses with his nasty splitter, that is pretty much the only pitch keeping him from outright catastrophe right now. This side-by-side of Sasaki's 94 MPH heater on Friday and his 102 MPH heater in NPB is jarring.
It's way too early to write off Sasaki as a bust, but the Dodgers need to deploy a more patient approach. The basic stats — 4.72 ERA and 1.49 WHIP — don't do full justice to how rough it has been. He has 24 strikeouts through 34.1 innings as a pitcher famed for his punch-out material.
Los Angeles should strongly consider demoting Sasaki to Triple-A Oklahoma City until he can settle into a better rhyhtm. He still has the tools for success in MLB, but Sasaki is far from the Cy Young candidate many hoped he would become sooner than later. Depth has not been a strength for Los Angeles this season, but there are enough worthy arms to give Sasaki a spell in the minors. It's the right move.