He arrived as the great pitching revelation for the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he was given a great poster in the opening game in Tokyo. However, the 23-year-old pitcher suffered a right shoulder injury and has been away from the mound since May. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed concern about the right-handed starting pitcher’s first rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday.
Sasaki’s fastball, which reached 97 mph in three innings of simulated action at Dodger Stadium last week, dropped to 93-94 mph during the outing.“I wouldn’t say I’m worried, but it’s expected to get to 90 degrees. But it was his first time, and I want to talk to him personally to learn a little more about it. But yeah, it was a little surprising,” said the MLB champion manager.
The evolution of Sasaki’s injury with the Los Angeles Dodgers
It is worth noting that Roki Sasaki was placed on the injured list on May 13 with a right shoulder impingement and was transferred to the 60-day injured list in June. He had a rough stretch in MLB prior to his injury, posting a 4.72 ERA in 34.1 innings pitched, with 24 strikeouts. In his simulated return he also did not have a great performance, throwing 41 pitches and allowing six hits and three runs in two innings of work. “Once he gets back to town, we’ll know when he’s going to pitch again,” Roberts said.
Roberts tempered his expectations about Sasaki after last week’s simulated game and stated that the Dodgers were still waiting for the Japanese pitcher to feel more comfortable and confident. “It’s more physical. I know he’s put on weight. The pitching wasn’t as ‘shoulder to shoulder’. I think it was a little cleaner. He was still looking, asking the pitching coaches some things. And that’s what people do.”
When will Roki Sasaki be able to return to an official Dodgers game?
We’re waiting for him to get to the point where he feels really comfortable and confident in his delivery and his level, so he can attack hitters and focus on that. We’re not there yet. But I think, for a three-inning situation, it was solid. Sasaki still has time before the end of the season to return and insert himself into the rotation, and the Dodgers hope he can do so, as the playoff race gets closer every day.
The Dodgers managed to sweep the San Diego Padres this weekend. The last time they swept a series was on July 3, more than 40 days ago. This has allowed them to regain the National League West Division lead. They will now look to exorcise the ghosts and extend their lead on Monday in their four-day visit to Denver where they will face the Colorado Rockies, who are the worst team in the National League.
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