The Los Angeles Dodgers are giving Roki Sasaki a shot to salvage his rookie campaign.
Sasaki has been on the mend since suffering a right shoulder impingement in May. The severity of the injury raised questions about Sasaki’s chances of returning before the end of the season.
On Tuesday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts put those questions to bed. He told reporters that Sasaki has rejoined the team after a lengthy rehab stint in the minors. The plan is for Sasaki to pitch out of the Dodgers’ bullpen for the rest of the season.
Dave Roberts said Roki Sasaki will be activated tomorrow and be part of bullpen the rest of the season. #Dodgers
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) September 23, 2025
Sasaki has pitched in eight MLB contests thus far — all of them coming as a starter. With a 4.72 ERA in those eight starts, Sasaki has thus far failed to live up to the immense hype that followed him stateside.
Expectations were sky-high for Sasaki, partly due to the immediate success of fellow Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who first stepped onto an MLB mound last year with the poise of a veteran.
Yamamoto even started in Game 2 of the World Series, where he allowed just one run across 6.1 innings in a Dodger win. But Yamamoto also joined the Dodgers with seven years of pro experience in Japan’s top league — three more than the 23-year-old Sasaki.
A bullpen stint may be a beneficial change for Sasaki. It’s not like he can do much worse than the Dodgers’ ever-imploding bullpen this season.
