Dave Roberts Already Sounds Done With the Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki Experiment

“That’s a good thing for the Dodgers and for Roki,” Roberts told reporters. “We’ll have some conversations after this one, but that’s good to hear.”

How Will Dave Roberts Use Roki Sasaki Down the Stretch?

Maybe we’re reading too much into things, but it’s telling that Roberts appears reluctant to share any excitement regarding Sasaki’s impending return. League rules mandate that Sasaki’s rehab assignment must end on Saturday, meaning the Dodgers must decide within the coming days what their plan is.

“I know Roki is anxious to get back here,” Roberts said. “I know he wants to contribute.”

But?

“Like I said last week, guys are pitching well as far as starters,” Roberts acknowledged. “So we just got to see where he fits in, and we’ll have that conversation as an organization.”

In fairness to Roberts, Sasaki’s control issues have persisted since his three-inning, five-walk debut on March 19. Sasaki walked 22 hitters and allowed six home runs over his first 34 1/3 innings. More concerningly, Sasaki only threw 58.5% of his pitches for strikes, and his 14.3% walk rate is significantly above the league average of 8.4%.

Even if the Dodgers intend to use Sasaki out of the bullpen, it’s unclear how much trust Roberts will place in him with the division race so tight. Los Angeles entered play Wednesday with a narrow two-game lead over the San Diego Padres in the NL West, and Roberts is better off only using arms that he trusts over the season’s final three weeks.

By no means are we saying that the Dodgers should give up on Sasaki after a single season. However, we also won’t blame Roberts if he’s written off Sasaki helping the Dodgers any time soon. Both can be true, and we should know by the weekend just what Sasaki’s role will be.