Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki’s regular-season status is unclear, according to Dave Roberts.
The Dodgers are trying to determine whether Sasaki will pitch again before the regular season wraps up or if his next outing will come in the postseason as a reliever.
Sasaki has been battling a blister, and he has thrown some bullpen sessions, but he is not ready to return yet, Roberts said.
Per the skipper, he will throw in a simulated game on Wednesday, September 16th, before the team decides whether he can pitch this season.
Originally, the Dodgers were hopeful Sasaki would pitch as early as Thursday, according to The Athletic’s Katie Woo, but that is no longer the case under Dave Roberts’ new timeline.
Only a handful of games remain in the regular season, and if he doesn’t pitch this week, he has only one other week left to pitch.
It seems there may not be a soft landing for the young Japanese pitcher, and he will be asked to jump headfirst into a role he is familiar with.
Why Sasaki’s setback may not be a big deal
This season, Roki Sasaki has pitched 119.1 innings in 23 games, so he will not be battling much rust.
Additionally, he hasn’t been totally shut down for long; he got treatment for the blister and has diligently ramped up his recovery.
Sasaki will not enter the postseason cold, and he has pitched out of the bullpen before, notably in the 2025 postseason when he was the closer.
While he may be asked to be the setup man rather than the closer, he should still have plenty of experience to draw on before the playoffs begin.
