Roki Sasaki faced lofty expectations in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but early struggles and a right shoulder injury prevented him from finding any sort of a rhythm.
He went 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in eight starts before landing on the injured list in May. The 24-year-old eventually returned to the Dodgers at the end of the regular season and thrived in a bullpen role.
Sasaki logged two scoreless relief appearances and carried that success into the postseason, where he registered three saves with a 0.84 ERA in nine games. Included in that was a heroic three-inning effort against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the National League Division Series.
Sasaki reflected on his rookie season and said he is working hard to be able to contribute more in 2026.
After finishing the 2025 season as a reliever, Sasaki is expected to return to the Dodgers rotation this year.
The right-hander will be part of a group that includes the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Emmet Sheehan.
River Ryan and Gavin Stone could also factor into the equation at some point, so the Dodgers will have to get creative to find enough opportunities for all of their starters.
Will Roki Sasaki pitch in World Baseball Classic?
A recent report suggested that Sasaki was included on Team Japan’s preliminary roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, but an official decision has not been made yet.
The Dodgers would likely prefer that Sasaki skips the event to focus on the 2026 season after missing most of his rookie campaign with the right shoulder injury.
Sasaki pitched for his native country in the 2023 tournament and won a gold medal. Also on Japan’s roster that year were Ohtani and Yamamoto.
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