May 9, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Dodgers Pitching Coach Gets Honest About Roki Sasaki's Velocity Struggles

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By Nelson Espinal | Last updated May 16, 2025 11:30 AM ET

The pitching coach of the Los Angeles Dodgers revealed how the team is addressing Roki Sasaki's decline in fastball velocity.

Pitching coach Mark Prior commented on the fact that Sasaki's fastball, which used to sit at 100 mph, is now in the mid-to-low 90s, and the effect this velocity drop is having on his pitching.

“It’s not an ideal situation,” Prior told Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times.

“Clearly, the fastball is not gonna carry through the zone at 93 very effectively."

“The velocity allows for that margin of error,” Prior added. “And clearly, that’s not there [right now]. I think guys are on his fastball because it’s the one thing that’s probably in the zone more than anything. This goes back to his ability to throw the other pitches for strikes, and be able to mix, probably balance with all three.”

Sasaki has had a rocky start to his MLB career, struggling in his first few starts, seemingly beginning to find his footing, and then experiencing a difficult outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Japanese pitcher has started eight games for the Dodgers, pitched 34 innings, and has a 4.72 ERA. Now, he's on the injured list due to a right shoulder impingement.

While his average velocity on his fastball sits at 96.3 mph, his last couple of starts before going on the IL showed a noticeable dip from that number, which is already below how fast he would regularly throw in Japan. It's unclear how the shoulder injury impacted his velocity.

Rōki Sasaki, 102mph Fastball vs. 94mph Fastball, Mechanics pic.twitter.com/AAJC2ChWfG
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 10, 2025

The Dodgers placed Sasaki directly into the major league starting rotation, choosing to have him learn on the fly instead of progressing through the minors.

This process has led to adjustments being made from week to week as the team attempts to establish a pitching mix and help Sasaki feel comfortable.

“There’s been a lot of conversations about a lot of different things,” Prior said.

“Again, we go every week with him, and we’ve been trying to shed light on things where we think there’s gonna be some improvement. But ultimately, again, I think it’s just him trying to get his footing under him, and be comfortable in what he’s doing.”

Sasaki said he'll take the time on the IL as a way to try to figure out what was going wrong for him. It's possible he shows flashes of his former self after his shoulder gets back to full strength.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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