Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki will be making his first start of Spring Training during a crucial preseason for the young pitcher.
According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, Sasaki will be making his first start on Wednesday, Feb. 25, against the San Francisco Giants, barring any unforeseen setbacks.
As a starting pitcher, Sasaki struggled to maintain consistency, fluctuating in command, velocity, and overall success rate.
He pitched 36.1 innings in the regular season during his rookie year, putting up a 4.46 ERA — good for a 94 ERA+.
His walk-to-strikeout rate was poor, only punching 28 hitters, though giving up 22 free passes along with 30 hits and 18 earned runs in total.
Sasaki’s fastball velocity, which hovered around the high 90s during his time playing in Japan, was the most concerning aspect of his pitching as a starter, with wild variation from outing to outing, sometimes only reaching 94 MPH.
FanGraphs’ pitch modeling was not a fan of Sasaki during his debut season, with 91 Stuff+, 92 Location+, and 86 Pitching+, all well below average.
While his numbers did not look good, and the advanced analytics were not kind to the highly touted Japanese arm, there were lingering factors that both the Dodgers and Sasaki point to as context.
Roki Sasaki’s 2025 injury
Sasaki suffered from an injury that at first was a mystery, but eventually it turned out to be a right shoulder impingement, which led to months on the injured list.
He eventually returned late in the season as a reliever, a role in which he thrived, hitting 99 MPH on a regular basis and getting multiple crucial saves.
As an organization, the Dodgers noticed issues with his delivery, among other mechanics he had gotten away from during his starts while he was battling the shoulder injury.
“I think for us, it was about trying to get his delivery back,” President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman said.
“I feel like we made a lot of progress on that. And so for us, we’re definitely viewing him as a starter and a really good one, and we’ll continue to work this offseason and put him in the best position to be ready in Spring Training to help us win again.”
With the Dodgers and Sasaki signaling encouragement about his status during his second spring training, fans should be excited to see what a consistent Sasaki could look like as a starting pitcher.
