The Los Angeles Dodgers starting rotation has largely been effective this season, but the jury is still out on whether or not Roki Sasaki will stick with the group.
The Dodgers have maintained there is not any intention of moving the 24-year-old to the bullpen, and that’s expected to hold true even when Blake Snell eventually returns from the injured list.
“When Blake comes back, Roki will not be in the bullpen,” manager Dave Roberts said.
A possible role change makes sense in theory given how effective Sasaki was out of the bullpen during the 2025 postseason. Sasaki’s current strengths and weaknesses make him tailor-made for the bullpen. Sasaki’s splitter is elite and his high-velocity fastball is another plus, even if it is hittable and lacks command.
Sasaki’s lack of command would also be less of an issue in short bursts out of the bullpen. So too would needing a full arsenal of pitches to navigate a lineup multiple times.
However, the Dodgers would be doing him and themselves a disservice if they didn’t give Sasaki every possible opportunity to succeed as a starter.
There have been some bright spots through two outings this season despite a 7.00 ERA. His first start against the Cleveland Guardians inspired confidence in himself and Roberts.
While the final line score in his second start doesn’t look good, grinding out a fifth inning of work was another positive in Roberts’ eyes. It represented growth on the mental side of things, while the physical mistakes Sasaki made with pitches can be corrected over time.
With Sasaki’s job safe for the time being, that leaves Emmet Sheehan and Justin Wrobleski as the potential odd men out in the Dodgers rotation once Snell is healthy. Gavin Stone is another possibility, but his timeline looks to be longer than previously anticipated.
Additionally, River Ryan is another potential option whenever the Dodgers feel comfortable enough to increase his workload.
Why Dodgers have confidence in Roki Sasaki
Roberts still had confidence in Sasaki entering the regular season despite a very poor showing in Cactus League play.
The perseverance displayed by the 24-year-old during his rookie season impressed Roberts and has inspired this belief.
“I think the thing that I learned most about him is he could’ve cashed in last year,” Roberts said. “Given his health early, the lack of performance toward the middle of the year, towards the end, he could’ve just written it off and started fresh in the offseason.
“But he was willing to pitch out of the bullpen, ramp back up and give us whatever we needed. So for me, that was something that he put himself out there. That’s why I have a lot of confidence in where he’s at right now, to turn the corner from Spring Training. If he would’ve run from that last year, that would’ve checked me up a little bit.”
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