Is Roki Sasaki's Injury Similar to One He Had in Japan? Dodgers Rookie Answers

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a total of 14 pitchers on the injured list, the latest being right-hander Roki Sasaki.

Sasaki was placed on the IL with a right shoulder impingement Tuesday, and it appears the injury is similar to what he dealt with last season with Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball — just not as severe.

“I did have something similar, but actually worse, and it was something that I was able to overcome and still perform,” Sasaki said.

In the rookie's last start against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Sasaki generated zero whiffs on his fastball. A pitch that was once dubbed as electric throughout Sasaki's time in NPB has yet to find its way to stateside baseball.

The Japanese phenom faced 20 batters and didn't generate a single swing-and-miss. The biggest concerns from Sasaki's latest performance was his command and diminished velocity.

The 23-year-old views his time on the IL as a chance to re-evaluate his early performance in MLB, and find ways to improve.

“I do feel like this is a good time to do that, so I want to make sure that I’m fully healthy and to be able to address anything that I had so that it leads to better performance,” Sasaki said.

“The last two outings especially I wasn’t quite happy with the overall performance."

Sasaki has a 4.72 ERA and 1.485 WHIP across eight starts this season. The right-hander reportedly pitched through the injury in his last two starts because he wanted to help out a depleted Dodgers rotation.

“Just looking at the team and where the team situation was, I wanted to really help the team in any way, shape or form," Sasaki added. "So with that being said, the last two outings haven’t been up to par to where I want it to be.”

The Dodgers now have three starters who were in the Opening Day rotation on the IL. The injuries to the pitching staff has been daunting, and it's unclear what the Dodgers will do to manage the situation.