Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Gets endorsement as team's closer
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Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Sasaki is "definitely the primary option now" to close games for the Dodgers, though the skipper noted that the rookie's availability will be contingent on his workload, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports. "We have to win X amount of games [to secure a championship], and he's not going to close every game," Roberts said of Sasaki. "It's just not feasible, so, you've got to use other guys."
Sasaki struggled to a 4.72 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and 24:22 K:BB in 34.1 innings over eight starts with the Dodgers to begin the season before he landed on the injured list May 13 due to a right shoulder impingement, but he's proven to be a dynamic weapon out of the bullpen since being reinstated Sept. 24. After collecting two holds and striking out four batters over two scoreless frames in two relief outings to close out the regular season, Sasaki retired the side on 11 pitches in his lone appearance against the Reds in the wild-card round, and he's converted a pair of save chances with ease in the first two games of the NLDS versus the Phillies. Given that the bullpen had been a relative weakness for the Dodgers down the stretch, it's not too surprising that Sasaki has quickly emerged as Los Angeles' most trusted reliever after he pitched effectively in his initial appearances following his return from the IL. With Clayton Kershaw headed for retirement following the playoffs, the Dodgers presumably still envision Sasaki getting stretched back out over the winter and settling into the vacated rotation spot in 2026, but the rookie right-hander looks like he'll rank as the preferred choice for ninth-inning duties for the duration of the team's postseason run.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Secures second save of NLDS
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Sasaki recorded a one-out save in Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the Phillies on Monday.
Sasaki tallied a traditional save in Saturday's Game 1, but skipper Dave Roberts called on the right-hander with two outs in the bottom of the ninth Monday with runners on first and third in a one-run game. Sasaki needed only two pitches to retire Trea Turner, inducing a grounder to second baseman Tommy Edman to record the final out of the matchup. Sasaki could very well be in position to handle closing duties moving forward after Blake Treinen was rocked for two runs on three hits while failing to record an out Monday.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Nails down save in Game 1 win
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Sasaki earned the save in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Phillies in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, allowing one hit and no walks with one strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning.
After missing more than four months with a right shoulder impingement, Sasaki returned to the Dodgers in the final week of the regular season as a bullpen arm and earned a spot on the postseason roster. With Los Angeles' bullpen troubles this season, manager Dave Roberts deployed both Tyler Glasnow and Sasaki in relief in Game 1 on Saturday. After Glasnow and Alex Vesia combined for six outs, Sasaki took the ball in the bottom of the ninth and struck out J.T. Realmuto looking before allowing a double to Max Kepler. Sasaki then got Nick Castellanos to ground out and Bryson Stott to foul out to preserve the win. Sasaki hit triple digits with his fastball four times across 11 pitches in the ninth inning.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Earns spot on wild-card roster
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Manager Dave Roberts stated Monday that Sasaki will be on the roster for the team's National League Wild Card Series against the Reds, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
Sasaki has looked sharp since his return from a right shoulder impingement, racking up four strikeouts in two scoreless relief appearances (two innings) during the final week of the regular season. Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia and Blake Treinen may be LA's top options in high-leverage situations heading into the postseason, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Sasaki called upon in a key scenario or two given his electric stuff.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Pops triple digits on radar gun
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Sasaki recorded the second hold of his career in Friday's 3-2 win over the Mariners, giving up one hit and striking out two in a scoreless seventh inning.
It's been a tough first North American season overall for Sasaki, who has only been healthy enough to throw 36.1 innings, but he appears to be back to 100 percent as he works a high-leverage relief role for the Dodgers headed into the playoffs. The right-hander topped out at 100.1 mph with his fastball Friday, and he's fanned four batters in two shutout innings since being activated from the IL on Sept. 24. If closer Tanner Scott falters in the postseason, Sasaki could find himself in some very high-pressure situations in October.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Shines in first career relief outing
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Sasaki notched a hold against Arizona on Wednesday, striking out two batters in a perfect seventh inning.
Sasaki was the first reliever Dodgers manager Dave Roberts used after Blake Snell allowed just one run over six innings. The appearance was Sasaki's first out of the bullpen in the majors after beginning his career with eight starts. The right-hander not only got through a clean inning, he looked dominant in doing so, striking out two of the three batters he faced and notching three whiffs on 13 pitches. Roberts is seeking answers to patch up a beleaguered bullpen that blew its 27th save of the season Wednesday, so Sasaki could be handed a pretty prominent high-leverage role in the playoffs if he's able to consistently pitch the way he did in his initial relief appearance.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Returning Wednesday
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The Dodgers will reinstate Sasaki (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
Sasaki hasn't pitched in the majors since May due to a right shoulder impingement. He's been making rehab appearances at Triple-A Oklahoma City since mid-August, however, posting a 6.10 ERA and 1.60 WHIP alongside a 19:13 K:BB through 20.2 innings. Once activated, the 23-year-old righty is expected to work out of the bullpen -- likely as a middle reliever, considering he carries a 4.72 ERA in 34.1 innings with the Dodgers this season.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Could be activated this week
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Sasaki (shoulder) will join the Dodgers in Arizona during their upcoming road trip and could be activated off the IL to join the big-league bullpen, though he won't be available to pitch until at least Wednesday, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
Sasaki recently shifted to a relief role in his rehab stint and has looked great through two subsequent outings with Triple-A Oklahoma City, tossing a pair of hitless and scoreless frames while posting a 3:1 K:BB. Since his most recent appearance took place Sunday, the Dodgers won't put him on the mound again until at least Wednesday, but even in that scenario he'd still have time to make a couple major-league appearances before the end of the regular season if he's activated. Los Angeles' bullpen has been its weak point of late, so the team could look to Sasaki to shore up what has been an inconsistent relief corps, though that would be a risk in itself since the rookie hurler has (until the recent pair of rehab outings) worked exclusively as a starter throughout his professional career, both in the US and in his native Japan.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Impresses in relief
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Sasaki (shoulder/calf) allowed one walk and struck out two across a scoreless inning in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday.
Sasaki began his rehab assignment as a starter but shifted to a relief role for Thursday's appearance, which also marked his return from a calf injury. He touched 100.1 mph during the appearance and averaged 98.9 mph with his fastball. Sasaki is likely to be back with the Dodgers after another appearance or two and Triple-A, but he isn't guaranteed a place on the playoff roster.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Making appearance in relief
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Sasaki (shoulder/calf) is scheduled to pitch in relief for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Sasaki suffered a calf injury in his rehab appearance Sept. 9 and is also working his way back from a shoulder injury that has sidelined him for most of the season. His shift to a relief role is notable, as he could also be auditioning for a postseason roster spot as a bullpen arm.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Battling calf injury
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Sasaki (shoulder) suffered a calf injury during his latest rehab start at Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Sasaki has been working his way back from a right shoulder impingement since mid-May and was cleared to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A on Aug. 14. The 23-year-old had been nearing the end of his 30-day window to remain out on assignment, but now that he is dealing with calf problems, he'll stay in Triple-A for at least one more start before returning to Los Angeles. Once fully healthy, the right-hander may be forced into a bullpen role given the abundance of depth already in the Dodgers' starting rotation.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Flying to LA after rehab start
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Sasaki (shoulder) is flying to Los Angeles on Wednesday and will meet with the Dodgers to discuss next steps, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Sasaki's flight comes after he posted his most promising minor-league rehab start to date Tuesday, giving up three runs on three hits and four walks with eight strikeouts over 4.2 innings. While that final line isn't going to blow anyone away, the rookie right-hander most notably reached triple-digit velocity on six of his fastballs and induced 16 whiffs on 35 swings. Sasaki's eight punchouts also stood out after he notched the same number of strikeouts over his first four rehab appearances spanning a combined 14 innings. It's not yet clear what's next for Sasaki, though Harris reports that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts "left the door open" for the Japanese hurler to potentially be on the team's postseason pitching staff, which would require Sasaki to get into multiple big-league games before the end of the regular season. If that were to happen, Sasaki would likely need to work out of the bullpen, as Los Angeles' rotation currently has six healthy pitchers and has been performing well of late.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Shaky in fourth rehab start
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Sasaki (shoulder) struck out two batters and allowed four earned runs on three hits and two walks in his rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He also hit a batter.
Though the 69 pitches (42 strikes) that Sasaki threw marked a slight step back from the 75 pitches he tossed his last time out Aug. 26, he was more efficient, which enabled him to reach five innings for the first time in four rehab outings. The right-hander wasn't quite as sharp as the Dodgers had likely hoped, however; two of the three hits he gave up left the yard, and he now owns an unremarkable 8:8 K:BB over 14 innings on the farm. The Dodgers are letting Sasaki get stretched out as a starter, but the big club wouldn't appear to have an opening for him in its six-man rotation. If Sasaki bypasses another rehab start and gets activated from the 60-day injured list, he could be deployed out of the bullpen.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Will face hitters this weekend
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Sasaki (shoulder) is scheduled to face hitters at the Dodgers' complex in Arizona this weekend, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
The rookie right-hander began throwing bullpens in mid-July and has progressed enough to move onto the next step in his recovery from a right shoulder impingement. This will be Sasaki's first time facing live hitters since he landed on the injured list in mid-May. It's expected that Sasaki will need to make at least three minor-league rehab outings before he's ready to be activated from the IL, so the earliest he's likely to return to the Dodgers is late August.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Not quite ready to face hitters
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Sasaki (shoulder) is expected to throw at least one more bullpen session before facing living hitters, per MLB.com.
The Dodgers are being careful not to rush Sasaki back, so the rookie right-hander will toss at least one more bullpen after getting up to 39 pitches in his most recent session. Sasaki hasn't pitched in a game since May 9, and he's presumably still several weeks away from being activated. According to Sonja Chen of MLB.com, Sasaki will eventually be slated for 3-to-4 minor-league rehab starts, during which he'll work up to the five-inning, 75-pitch range. The hope is that he'll be ready to return before the end of August.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Reaching 90 mph in bullpens
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Sasaki (shoulder) has been reaching 90 mph with his fastball in recent bullpen sessions, per MLB.com.
Though Sasaki is capable of touching triple digits with his heater when he's fully ramped up, this update nonetheless indicates that the rookie right-hander is making progress in his recovery from a right shoulder impingement. Sasaki is said to be pain-free, though he's been throwing off a mound for only about a week and has yet to face live hitters, so he likely remains weeks away from a return. Should he continue to progress without any setbacks, Sasaki could be back with the Dodgers in late August.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Upping velocity from flat ground
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In a pregame interview Friday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Sasaki's (shoulder) velocity while throwing from flat ground has "ticked up" to the upper-80s but indicated that the rookie hurler isn't yet ready for mound work, per The Dodgers Bleed Los Podcast.
Sasaki has been on the IL due to a right shoulder impingement since May 13, and he has had his throwing program paused on two separate occasions. However, the right-hander resumed playing catch June 20 and seems to be taking positive steps toward a return. Roberts stated Friday that Sasaki is "kind of letting it rip" from flat ground but indicated that it's "too early" for him to be ready for mound work. It's not yet clear when Sasaki will be able to take that step, but it at least appears that he's on track to be part of the Dodgers' pitching staff at some point during the second half of the campaign.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Nearing throwing program
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Sasaki (shoulder) is expected to begin a throwing program within the next week, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Sasaki has been on the 15-day injured list since May 13 with a right shoulder impingement, and he was shut down from throwing. The right-hander will likely require a multi-week buildup before potentially returning to the major-league roster. Sasaki will progress from playing catch to throwing a bullpen session before launching a minor-league rehab assignment.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Pauses all throwing
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Manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that Sasaki will be shut down from throwing for a while, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
The Dodgers skipper didn't offer any more details as to what "a while" could mean, but it seems the team is going to see how Sasaki responds to a period of rest before it considers administering any sort of medical treatment. The 23-year-old landed on the injured list Tuesday with a right shoulder impingement, and he's likely to be sidelined beyond the 15-day minimum if the no-throw period lasts more than a few days.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Lands on IL
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The Dodgers placed Sasaki on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right shoulder impingement.
Sasaki came away from his last start Friday with a bit of soreness in his shoulder, and further evaluation determined it would be best for the 23-year-old righty to sit down for at least a couple of weeks. J.P. Feyereisen was recalled from Triple-A to fill the open spot on the pitching staff, though it's still unknown who will take Sasaki's place in the starting rotation.
