Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki was a superstar in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), the premier league in his home country of Japan. However, the right-hander has had less success since graduating to MLB.
Sasaki is a two-time NPB All-Star and holds the league's single-game strikeout record (19) and the world record for consecutive strikeouts in a single game (13). The 6-foot-2, 187-pounder achieved both accomplishments during his perfect game on April 10, 2022.
Sasaki signed with the Dodgers in January 2025 and was named MLB's top prospect entering the season, per MLB Pipeline. The 24-year-old then pitched just 10 games (eight starts) in the regular season due to a shoulder injury, logging a 4.46 ERA. He made nine appearances as a reliever in the playoffs after that, notching a 0.84 ERA.
Sasaki returned to starting in spring training this year and allowed 15 earned runs across 8.2 innings. Despite the hurler's struggles, Los Angeles is keeping him in the rotation for now. Manager Dave Roberts explained the decision on Monday, per The Athletic's Katie Woo.
“We’re going to run him out there. So for me to put my head in a space that there’s another alternative right now, that’s not helpful,” he said. “We’re going to support him as much as we can, and then give him some runway, and then, you know, once the season starts, then it’s about production.”
Dodgers Need Roki Sasaki to Step Up Amid Injuries
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Sasaki's struggles are ill-timed for Los Angeles, as southpaw starter Blake Snell (shoulder) isn't expected back until late May, per The California Post's Jack Harris. Additionally, right-handed starter River Ryan was optioned to Triple-A on Wednesday, per MLB.com. The Dodgers' No. 6-ranked prospect and top pitching prospect is being treated carefully after getting Tommy John surgery in August 2024, but he had a 1.86 ERA in 9.2 innings this spring.
That leaves ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, right-hander Shohei Ohtani, right-hander Tyler Glasnow, Sasaki, and right-hander Emmet Sheehan as the healthy starters entering Opening Day. Although Roberts and company are giving Sasaki the chance to prove himself when the games count, they don't have much of a choice right now anyway.
Roberts downplayed Sasaki's spring struggles after he allowed five runs over two innings against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, per Woo.
“I don’t think that you can completely just bank on or evaluate spring training or an exhibition game,” he said. “But yeah, it hasn’t been great. It really hasn’t. And we know that. The standard needs to be better. He knows that, we know that.
“Now it’s kind of go time, and see how we can perform when the lights come on," he continued.
If Sasaki doesn't improve by the time Snell and/or Ryan are ready to enter the rotation, he could lose his spot.
Up next for the Dodgers is another spring training matchup with the Angels on Tuesday before Opening Day against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday.
