The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Roki Sasaki on the 15-day injured list due to a blister on his right middle finger and recalled Seth Halvorsen from Triple-A Oklahoma City before the series finale against the Atlanta Braves.
Halvorsen is on the Dodgers roster for a second time this season. He previously was recalled Aug. 10 but returned to Triple-A two days later.
Manager Dave Roberts explained the roster move as needing coverage out of the bullpen due to some relievers being unavailable at the time. Roberts added he anticipated Halvorsen returning to the team at some point before the season concluded.
The right-hander pitched a scoreless 10th inning in his Dodgers debut to keep the game tied and was given the win when Max Muncy delivered a walk-off single.
Halvorsen joined the Dodgers organization via trade with the Colorado Rockies on July 20. He was sent to Triple-A at the time to continue a rehab assignment, and so the Dodgers could work on implementing mechanical adjustments.
The 26-year-old had a 4.74 ERA, 5.73 FIP and 1.95 WHIP while striking out 17.7% of hitters and walking 15.6% over 21 appearances for the Rockies this season.
Prior to getting recalled earlier this month, Halvorsen threw 6.1 innings scoreless innings and collected eight strikeouts for the Comets. Overall with Oklahoma City, Halvorsen has yet to allow a run in 9.2 innings across 10 appearances.
Halvorsen receiving another opportunity with the Dodgers could provide a boost as their bullpen has shouldered a heavy workload and experienced some struggles.
Roki Sasaki’s blister
Sasaki’s stint on the IL begins one day after trouble with the blister forced him to leave Tuesday’s game in the fourth inning. Sasaki’s early exit came after he gave up a double to Sean Murphy with one out.
“When I was facing the first hitter in the fourth inning, I actually didn’t feel anything coming beforehand,” Sasaki said through an interpreter after the game. “My skin just ripped off, and after that it was getting worse.”
The right-hander retired just one of four batters faced in the fourth inning, and ultimately was charged for four runs as a misplay by Teoscar Hernández with Edgardo Henriquez on the mound proved costly.
Sasaki entered his start at Truist Park having gone 5-5 with a 4.42 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 22 starts this season. He had been much improved since the All-Star break and allowed two earned runs or fewer in all six outings during that span before facing the Braves.
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