Roki Sasaki began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City last month in effort to potentially rejoin the Los Angeles Dodgers before the end of the regular season.
The right-hander hasn’t looked sharp in his time with the Comets thus far. Through four starts, he has pitched to a 7.07 ERA and 1.79 WHIP with eight strikeouts against eight walks in 14 innings of work.
Sasaki struggled in his most recent start last week, when he allowed four runs on three hits with two strikeouts against two walks over five innings pitched.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sasaki will start with the Comets on Tuesday before the team makes a decision on his immediate future, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
Roberts said the Dodgers have decided to have right-hander Roki Sasaki make another rehab start with OKC on Tuesday.
Sasaki has been on the injured list since May 13 due to a prolonged recovery from a right shoulder impingement that twice shut him down from throwing. He made eight starts for the Dodgers before the injury, going 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in 34.1 innings pitched.
It isn’t clear if Sasaki will rejoin the Dodgers before the end of the regular season, but Roberts wants him to continue getting better with each outing.
“I think for us, it’s just trying to get some consistency out of him to build him up and also at this point in time, just to perform,” Roberts said of Sasaki.
“Our starters are pitching well, so the bar is high. This is a good kind of learning process for Roki. Just continue to pound the strike zone, command the baseball and perform.”
Dodgers view 2025 season as ‘learning year’ for Roki Sasaki
Sasaki hasn’t had the rookie season he envisioned with the Dodgers, but Roberts believes it will take some before he adjusts to the Majors.
“I think the velocity needs to be consistent, the strike-throwing needs to be consistent and just overall command,” Roberts began. “The focus certainly is different in the big leagues versus Triple-A, which is totally fair.
“But I do think where he’s at, performing and dominating Triple-A hitting is something that we should expect. Again, this is a learning year for Roki.
“He’s certainly so talented, but how do you have success as a pitcher? You command the baseball, you get ahead and you’re efficient.”
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