Dodgers Evaluating What’s Next For Roki Sasaki

Roki Sasaki’s struggles continued during the fourth start of his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City as the right-hander tries to work his way back to the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation.

Saaki allowed four runs over five innings, giving up three hits, walking two, hitting one batter and striking out just two. Included in the outing was a pair of home runs in the first inning, putting the Comets in an early 4-0 deficit.

Sasaki has been on the injured list since May 13 due to a prolonged recovery from a right shoulder impingement that twice shut him down from throwing.

In the wake of Sasaki’s continued struggles this season, the Dodgers are unsure what the best course of action is for him going forward, according to Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:

Roberts said the organization is set to “huddle together and figure out what’s best for Roki and how we can get the most out of him.”

“To warrant pitching on our staff right now, there’s got to be urgency on his part and really dominant performance,” Roberts added. “That’s the level of where we’re at.”

The Dodgers already have a full rotation, and if they don’t believe Sasaki would be an upgrade on current options, then there is little incentive to insert him back in as a starter.

In fact, the Dodgers are also considering trimming their starting rotation from six pitchers to five, leaving even less opportunity for Sasaki.

The Dodgers have considered moving Sasaki to the bullpen, but outside of that, he doesn’t figure to fit into their short-term plans this season if he can’t demonstrate some improvement.

How Roki Sasaki could fit into Dodgers bullpen

The Dodgers are able to utilize a six-man rotation despite only having five pitchers strictly occupying starting roles, which is a benefit of having Shohei Ohtani in the organization.

Teams are limited to 13 pitchers on their 26-man roster from Opening Day through the end of August, and that cap expands to 14 pitchers in the month of September. The Dodgers currently have 15 pitchers on their active roster, but it’s technically 14 because Ohtani doesn’t count toward the limit.

The Dodgers could add Sasaki or any other reliever to the bullpen if they are willing to trim their rotation to five.