Everything indicated that Roki Sasaki‘s return was very close, however, the Dodgers have received some discouraging news about his health. According to information from journalist Fabian Aranda of The Athletic, the team’s manager, Dave Roberts, announced that Sasaki has stopped pitching due to persistent shoulder discomfort.
Although the team has no plans to conduct any further tests at this time, uncertainty has increased, and concern about Sasaki‘s return is at an all-time high, with the most pessimistic diagnoses suggesting he may not pitch again.
Roki Sasaki statistics
Sasaki’s debut in Major League Baseball has not lived up to the expectations generated by his performance in Japan. In his first 34.1 innings with the Dodgers, the right-hander has a 4.72 ERA and a 1.485 WHIP, with 24 strikeouts and 22 walks. Although he has shown flashes of his talent, he does not yet seem to have fully adapted to the level of MLB.
This performance contrasts with what he offered in the Japanese league with the Chiba Lotte Marines, where he accumulated an ERA of 2.10 and a WHIP of 0.894 in 394.2 innings over four seasons, with 505 strikeouts and only 88 walks. His most memorable performance came in 2022, when he pitched a perfect game with 19 strikeouts, tying the NPB record, and followed it up with another eight perfect innings in his next outing.
Why is Roki Sasaki so good?
Considered the best baseball prospect at the start of 2025, Sasaki has an arsenal that includes a fastball that has exceeded 100 mph, an elite splitter and a slider with great potential. However, his injury history has kept him from being able to regain the level he showed in the Japanese league. In addition, Roki has already dealt with physical problems in the previous three seasons, which made his health the main question mark in his arrival to the Dodgers
Despite the setback, Sasaki still has room to develop his potential and establish himself as a key piece in the Dodgers rotation in the medium term. However, that moment could be delayed longer than the team and its fans expected.
What happened to Roki Sasaki?
The 23-year-old pitcher has been on the injured list since May 13 and his return looks uncertain due to this new shoulder injury, however there is no diagnosis or estimated date of return. To make matters worse, Sasaki joins a long list of injured players on the Dodgers, including Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone and Tony Gonsolin
Read the full article here
