Plenty of eyes have been on Roki Sasaki since the Los Angeles Dodgers began Spring Training earlier this month, and no more was that evident than during a live batting practice session last week.
Sasaki’s first time facing batters drew a large group that stood behind a protective netting placed several feet back of home plate. Among those in attendance were Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, manager Dave Roberts, Shohei Ohtani and Blake Snell.
Roberts though the right-hander fared well and said he was poised to pitch in a game this week, but it was unclear if it would come in Cactus League play.
According to Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times, the Dodgers decided to have Sasaki pitch in a Minor League game at Camelback Ranch on Tuesday:
#Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said RHP Roki Sasaki threw a 30-pitch bullpen in the indoor pitching lab so they could take some measurements of his pitches. Sasaki will pitch in a “modified B game” vs. White Sox on Tuesday.
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) February 23, 2025
By having Sasaki take the mound in a ‘B’ game, the Dodgers are better able to control his pitch count and overall workload. The team has been mindful of not placing too much pressure on Sasaki’s shoulders as he adjusts to life as a Major Leaguer.
While Sasaki is slated to start in a Minor League game, the Dodgers have Tyler Glasnow scheduled for his 2025 Spring Training debut on Monday, and Blake Snell is due to face the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday.
All indications thus far are that Sasaki remains on track to start in the second game of the Tokyo Series for his Dodgers and MLB debut.
Roki Sasaki married
On top of being in the spotlight because of his tantalizing potential, Sasaki made news last week by announcing on Instagram he is married.
It caught essentially all members of the Dodgers organization by surprise, including Roberts, Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
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