Roki Sasaki Update: ‘Intensity’ Lacking From Throwing Program

Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow have made considerable progress in their respective recoveries over the past week, but Roki Sasaki has continued to lag behind them as a fellow injured Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher.

Sasaki is among the 14 Dodgers pitchers currently on the injured list. He’s been out since May 13 because of a right shoulder impingement but managed to start a throwing progression late last month.

Whereas Snell has advanced to throwing multiple bullpen sessions and Glasnow faced batters on Friday for the first time since going on the injured list, Sasaki remains limited to light throws when playing catch on flat ground.

“Nothing new. I think that right now he’s kind of just trying to keep his arm moving,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the series opener against the San Francisco Giants.

“I don’t think that he’s in a place where he feels that he can have the intensity. So right now, we’re just kind of status quo.”

Roberts previously indicated Sasaki was not experiencing any discomfort in his right shoulder. That sentiment was echoed by Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior earlier this week, but he also noted that Sasaki wasn’t yet at the stage of being able to do more than light catch.

“I don’t know if he’s feeling something, or he just doesn’t have the confidence to kind of trust that he’s in a good spot,” Roberts said as part of his latest remarks. “So any way you want to look at it, he’s still kind of just moving his arm, but there isn’t a whole lot of intensity right now.”

The Dodgers have avoided setting any semblance of a timeline in effort to prevent Sasaki from feeling pressure to return. But given his current status and somewhat stagnant progression, it’s likely Sasaki doesn’t return until after the All-Star break.

Helping Roki Sasaki regain confidence

Before Roberts alluded to it, Prior mentioned Sasaki is not yet at the point of being confident in his right shoulder to begin the process of exploring mechanical issues that may have been to blame for struggling.

“I think the number one thing is health. And once we get him back to health, where he feels like he can use his arsenal and be pain-free, then you start getting into believing in your stuff,” Roberts said.

“You have enough stuff to get hitters out consistently. So I think that once we get to the health part, we build him up, I think he’ll be in a good spot as far as on the confidence and really learning from some of the things, the experiences that he’s had up to this point.”

Sasaki is 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in eight starts this season.