Roki Sasaki was supposed to be the next star pitcher in MLB.
Several teams were fighting to secure the young Japanese-born right-handed pitching phenom, especially because they could sign him to a cheap contract.
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the battle, buut it does not seem like they have won the war, as Sasaki sits on the injured list.
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After the first eight starts of his MLB career, the Dodgers placed Sasaki on the 15-day IL on April 16 with a shoulder impingement.
The organization is reportedly aiming for Sasaki to return sometime in late June, per the Los Angeles Times Dylan Hernández.
Before sustaining the shoulder injury, Sasaki was not living up to the hype surrounding him in the offseason.
The 23-year-old allowed at least one run in each start, logging a 4.72 ERA and 24 strikeouts.
Hernández said Sasaki never looked fully comfortable on the mound, so it is unclear what he will bring to the Dodgers rotation when he returns.
Los Angeles was set to have five aces in their rotation this season. However, Sasaki is one of four of those potential aces that is unable to pitch.
In addition to Sasaki, starting pitchers Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are on the injured list. Meanwhile, two-way player Shohei Ohtani is available to hit, but not ready to pitch.
Starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the only healthy ace left in the Dodgers’ rotation. Yamamoto has accrued a 2.39 ERA and 77 strikeouts across 12 starts this season.
Snell was the Dodgers’ other big acquisition this offseason. But the Dodgers transferred the two-time Cy Young pitcher, who signed a five-year, $182 million deal, to the 60-day IL after he made just two starts in 2025.
Sasaki’s one-year, $760,000 contract was less of an investment for Los Angeles. However, the Dodgers would benefit from Sasaki finding his groove in MLB.
Perhaps this break from pitching will help Sasaki reset and return to the pitcher he once was in Japan.
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Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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