Dodgers Could Change Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki Schedules Amid Injury Issues
The Los Angeles Dodgers have already lost two starters in Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. The injury woes seem to have carried over from last season for the defending champions as the pitching staff in particular has been mostly affected by the latest plague of ailments.
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With Glasnow and Snell out, the Dodgers plans for a six-man rotation moving forward are not realistic. While Tony Gonsolin returned to the rotation, there are currently only four starters in Dustin May, Roki Sasaki, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and now Gonsolin.
The injuries to the starting rotation indicate changes could be coming soon. Manager Dave Roberts said one avenue the team will explore is having Yamamoto and Sasaki pitching more frequently. Nothing is confirmed, but the Dodgers will have “a conversation” regarding the idea, according to Roberts.
Currently, Yamamoto and Sasaki both pitch once a week and that schedule worked well for the opening month of the season. However, with Glasnow going on the IL, the Dodgers will need to establish a new schedule for their rotation.
The Dodgers bullpen leads the league in innings pitched, which is a major concern for a team that entered last postseason with an overworked bullpen and three starters. In order to relieve the bullpen, the Dodgers could have Yamamoto and Sasaki pitch more often, but at what cost?
Both pitchers are most comfortable with their current schedules since that’s what they’ve done overseas. It would be interesting to see whether increasing their starts would have a negative or positive effect on the duo, but the Dodgers appear to be at least exploring the idea.
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Photo Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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