Aug 8, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) throws before the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Dodgers Coach Seems to Have Fixed Roki Sasaki

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By Nelson Espinal | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 12:30 PM ET

The Los Angeles Dodgers are remaining patient with starting pitcher Roki Sasaki as he recovers from a shoulder injury and tries to get a better feel for his stuff.

Sasaki came over from Japan with a ton of hype, and several MLB teams courted him, though he ended up picking the Dodgers due to their track record for developing pitchers.

His rookie season, at the age of 23, has not gone smoothly. He has a 4.72 ERA in eight games, throwing a total of 34.1 innings. The Japanese player last pitched in MLB in early May, leaving him on the road to recovery for months.

With the MLB playoffs just around the corner, Sasaki is ramping up his recovery, going through his minor-league rehabilitation assignment in Triple-A Oklahoma City.

During his assignment, Sasaki spent some time in Arizona with Rob Hill, the Dodgers’ director of pitching, and managed to discover a way to increase his velocity on his fastball.

His heater averaged 98.6 mph during a minor league start on Tuesday, much better than what he was throwing before hitting the injured list. In his last MLB starts, he averaged around 94 mph on his fastball.

According to manager Dave Roberts, the development time spent in Arizona is Sasaki working on his stuff.

“Roki has kind of been on his own trying to get his feels and things like that. But he and Rob had a really good session and tapped into some velocity,” Roberts told Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register.

“I think a lot of young, talented players just out-talent leagues and they don’t really need to make any type of adjustments. It happens with Americans, it happens with pitchers, with position players with a lot of young players.

"I just think it was something where he needed some suggestions for guidance and Rob was there and it worked out well.”

Before joining stateside baseball, Sasaki was known for throwing well above 100 mph regularly in NPB, though his velocity mysteriously clocked in lower than he had shown before.

If his new changes can get him throwing hard with control, the promising arm is poised to start delivering on the promise he once showed.