After battling many injuries to their pitching staff for the majority of the year, the Los Angeles Dodgers are finally starting to get good news on some of their key contributors. For example, starters Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow have returned to the mound, and Shohei Ohtani is starting to get stretched out in his outings.
With eyes on another deep playoff run, the Dodgers aim to have their best players fresh headed towards September, but they can’t take their foot off the gas as the San Diego Padres are just three games back in the National League West.
Roki Sasaki Gets Positive Injury Update
Roki Sasaki is the last piece of the pitching staff that the Los Angeles Dodgers need to get healthy. After being on the injured list for the last three months, the reports and Sasaki himself have said that he feels no pain in his shoulder, and it’s just a matter of ramping back up to see if he’ll be able to pitch again this season.
Sasaki spoke to the media through his interpreter and had this to say about the injury:
“I feel better about being able to throw harder, especially because I’m completely pain-free. With that being said, I do have to just face live hitters and see how my mechanics, you know, hold. Just being consistent; being able to do that consistently.”
Before heading to the IL with that shoulder injury, Sasaki made eight starts with the Dodgers and posted a 4.72 ERA in 34.1 innings. There was a noticeable dip in velocity from the overpowering fastball the Dodgers thought they were getting when they signed Sasaki out of Nippon Professional Baseball, and walks were a bit of an issue. Sasaki issued 22 free passes in those 34 innings and just 24 strikeouts.
He is just 23 years old, and Los Angeles wants to protect his young arm. When Sasaki signed with the Dodgers, he was named as the No. 1 overall prospect in baseball, and then shortly after made his MLB debut.
Dodgers Rotation Outlook
Sasaki is set to pitch a three-inning simulated game at Dodger Stadium over the weekend, and then may go on a rehab assignment after that. As far as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ overall rotation, it’s looking crowded. With Ohtani, Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Glasnow manning the top four spots, it will either be Clayton Kershaw or Sasaki getting that fifth spot, and Kershaw has been serviceable for L.A. this season.
If Sasaki is to return this regular season, it will be interesting to see how/if he’s used in the playoff pitching fold. He’s likely not going to be a starter in October, but if he is truly healthy, he could still be an option for the Dodgers’ bullpen. However, as far as the regular season is still concerned, if Sasaki returns before the end of September, that might be able to Ohtani an extra rest day between his starts. The Dodgers have a great problem to have, and that is more serviceable starters than their rotation allows, but for a team that has its eyes on repeating as World Series champs, that is necessary.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Los Angeles Dodgers Receive Positive Roki Sasaki Injury Update appeared first on Heavy Sports.