The Los Angeles Dodgers have been without Roki Sasaki since May 13, when he was placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right shoulder impingement.
The Dodgers eventually transferred Sasaki to the 60-day IL in June after he was shut down due to an inability to increase the intensity of his throwing program.
Sasaki began throwing again around the end of June, which came after he received a cortisone injection to help alleviate some of the pain. He completed a bullpen session last week and was scheduled to throw another one on Monday.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been encouraged with Sasaki’s progress and said he could potentially return to the team by the end of August, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sasaki has been pain-free and progressing in his throwing program at a rate that projects to a possible return in “late August.”
Sasaki is already eligible to be activated from the 60-day IL, but the Dodgers will remain cautious with him and not speed up his recovery.
Sasaki nevertheless has made significant strides as it wasn’t that long enough in which the Dodgers were unsure if he would even be able to pitch again this season.
If Sasaki returns by late August, he wouldn’t have long to ramp up for a potential postseason role, which could put his availability in question.
Roki Sasaki’s stats with Dodgers
Sasaki has struggled through the better part of his rookie season as he went just 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in eight starts before going on the IL.
When Sasaki was first placed on the IL, Roberts expressed hope that the time off would allow the 23-year-old to reset and make some mechanical adjustments. There’s also a belief that the shoulder trouble contributed to Sasaki’s fastball velocity being down.
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