Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki is set to return as a starter, though his postseason role remains unclear.
The Dodgers’ plan changed after Blake Snell suffered an injury on Wednesday, September 16th, during his start against the Cincinnati Reds.
Why the Dodgers changed plans
Snell had a sore left groin and left after one inning. The southpaw was optimistic he avoided the worst of the injury, but the Dodgers still face uncertainty about his status.
As a result, if Snell cannot pitch to finish the season or even the start of the postseason, the Dodgers will need to build up Sasaki as a starter to cover themselves.
Sasaki isn’t at his best right now — the Japanese righty is on the injured list with a blister on his middle finger.
He is eligible to be activated, and he just threw a 48-pitch live batting practice that went well, but the organization is waiting to see how they want to roll him out, either throw him in the bullpen now or have him make starts.
“One can argue it’s best to [let him] take down a couple starts and keep him built up,” Roberts said. “Because if something does happen, then he is built up.”
Will Roki Sasaki make a start?
After Snell’s injury, Roberts was asked again about Sasaki’s likelihood of returning as a starter rather than a reliever, and the skipper said that, to rest everyone properly and for build-up reasons, Sasaki will get a start at some point in the closing days of the season.
“You know, just trying to make sure that guys have ample rest,” Roberts said. “I think his next outing will be as a starter.”
While many fans thought it was a foregone conclusion that Sasaki would move into a reliever role, he could make his first-ever postseason start after a breakout campaign this year.
In his last seven games, he has a 3.05 ERA with 37 strikeouts, 15 walks, and a 1.28 WHIP.
His splitter is a nasty putaway pitch that he throws for strikes, while the slider is coming along as a nice complement.
More importantly than his two offspeed pitches, his fastball sits in the high 90s and has more movement. With that profile, Sasaki would be a devastating postseason reliever, but now he may be called upon for a role no one expects.
