Roki Sasaki entered the 2025 season as MLB’s No. 1 prospect, but he has not pitched like it so far through two starts. Although the rocky beginning to his rookie season isn’t ideal, it hasn’t changed the Los Angeles Dodgers’ opinion of the caliber of player Sasaki is.
It’s evident Sasaki is working through some nerves as he makes his transition to the Majors. Command has been his biggest issue, as Sasaki is walking 17.36 batters per nine innings. Opponents aren’t respecting his ability to throw competitive off-speed pitches, which has made him extremely one dimensional.
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Because of all the attention surrounding his arrival, there were always going to be lofty projections from outside the organization.
But the Dodgers have tempered their expectations since Spring Training, with throwing strikes, competing as long as possible and learning from each outing being the only expectations manager Dave Roberts set for Sasaki.
While Sasaki hasn’t had much success with the first two items, the third is arguably the most important for his development as a Major League pitcher.
There have been some calls for the Dodgers to option Sasaki to Triple-A Oklahoma City, but Roberts is pleased to see how the 23-year-old has responded since struggling in his Dodger Stadium debut.
“I think that he’s handling it well. I want him to continue to stay out there and stay visible. He’s not used to having some struggles, and I think that this is an opportunity for him to fight back, answer back,” Roberts said.
“From what I heard, he had a great bullpen session. I appreciate the fact that he went back to work and he’ll be ready to go on Saturday.”
The Dodgers have a good support system in place to help Sasaki through his predicament, but Roberts believes it should be a player-led effort and won’t intervene or force any mentorship.
“I think for me, that’s something where Shohei (Ohtani) or Yamamoto (Yamamoto), that needs to happen organically. And I’ll let that kind of handle itself,” Roberts answered when asked if Shohei Ohtani has counseled Sasaki.
When is Roki Sasaki’s next start?
Sasaki next start for the Dodgers is scheduled for Saturday as the team will be in the midst of roadtrip with a series against the Philadelphia Phillies. While the hostile environment at Citizens Bank Park is not going to make anything easier for Sasaki, Roberts doesn’t believe it will be an issue.
“I mean, yeah, they’re hard on the visitors, as well as the home team. I don’t think so. I think he’s going to handle himself fine. I really do,” Roberts said.
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