Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki is not going to pitch in the World Baseball Classic this year, with the organization not allowing him to leave their Spring Training camp.
The Dodgers, given Sasaki’s injury history and inconsistent 2025, opted to have Sasaki stay and prepare with the team all spring rather than join the Team Japan squad.
Shohei Ohtani will play for Japan in the WBC, though he will not pitch.
Yoshinbou Yamamoto will also be going, even after an exhausting postseason, and the Dodgers are confident in his preparation; he is much more settled at the major league level than Sasaki.
Sasaki has two pitches at his disposal at the moment, only able to throw a fastball and a splitter. His lack of a deep arsenal became clear as a starter, and with another shot at the rotation, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes and the organization feel like it is best for his prospects to stay in Los Angeles.
“I think it’s just understanding what we’re about to undertake again. Making sure that all sides kind of understand each perspective is the most helpful thing,” Gomes said.
“Look, the WBC is an amazing thing for the game of baseball. We’re tasked with also focusing on the Dodgers. Having those conversations to make sure that everybody’s heard and placing the emphasis on what is going to be a long season and hopefully Roki running from start to finish as a starter.
“That adds an additional workload component, so trying to be mindful of all those components, while not easy, is something that we have to do in a prudent way.”
Roki Sasaki’s 2025 season
Sasaki pitched 36.1 innings in the regular season, putting up a poor 4.46 ERA in 10 appearances, good for a 94 ERA+. He walked 22 batters and struck out 28, showing that most of his outs came from poor contact rather than quality pitching.
His fastball velocity was incredibly inconsistent as he adjusted, and his location suffered because of Sasaki’s focus on his stuff.
At 24 years old, there is plenty of time for him to realize his potential as a starter, especially after his promising run as a closer in the 2025 postseason.
Dodgers fans should be excited that Sasaki is staying in camp with the Dodgers, with the potential for great developments to come from the righty.
