Matt Sauer is among the group of players competing for a spot on the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Opening Day roster this spring.
The former New York Yankees prospect has struggled to the tune of an 8.22 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in four Cactus League appearances (one start) thus far.
Sauer’s woes continued on Friday night when he allowed four runs and three hits in two-plus innings of work against the Seattle Mariners. The right-hander returned for the ninth inning and gave up all four runs without recording an out.
As Dodgers manager Dave Roberts walked to the mound to remove Sauer, he informed the 26-year-old that he will travel with the team for the Tokyo Series.
The news caught Sauer by surprise, but it was a moment that he will never forget, via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic:
“I honestly didn’t even know how to react,” Sauer said, describing feeling pure shock as he walked off the mound. “I thought it was first-class. It was awesome, the way he did it.”
Despite his overall struggles, there have been some positives for Sauer this spring. The Santa Maria, Calif., native has recorded eight strikeouts against only one walk in 7.2 innings pitched.
Sauer has also been able to provide length out of the Dodgers’ bullpen, as all but one of his appearances this spring have been more than one inning.
It remains to be seen if Sauer will be included on the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster, but he is going to accompany the team to Japan at the very least.
L.A. will be permitted to carry more than 26 players for their trip to Tokyo, which should allow Sauer to potentially pitch in one of the exhibition games against the Yomiuri Giants or Hanshin Tigers.
Matt Sauer’s MLB career
Sauer was selected by the Yankees in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft. After pitching in parts of six seasons for the organization, he was selected by the Kansas City Royals during the 2023 MLB Rule 5 Draft.
Sauer made his big league debut for the Royals last season and posted a 7.71 ERA in 16.1 innings (14 appearances) before returning to the Yankees.
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