Roki Sasaki Watch Takes Another Turn for Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki has been sidelined for the last three weeks due to a lingering blister.

After dealing with the blister during a late-August start, Sasaki was removed from the game and later added to the injured list.

"When I was facing the first hitter in the fourth inning, I actually didn't feel anything coming beforehand," Sasaki said through an interpreter after that game. "My skin just ripped off, and then after that, it got worse. ... I thought I was able to manage at first because the skin was still there, but after that, it kept getting worse, and I think it affected my slider afterwards."

As he has continued to recover and trend back towards the mound, Sasaki threw a simulated game on Wednesday, in which he completed four innings.

The Dodgers were thinking about having Sasaki pitch in Thursday's series finale against the Cincinnati Reds, but instead elected for the sim game, and to have him set up to return next week.

“He came out of it well,” Roberts said on Wednesday. “So we have to huddle up here and figure out what’s his role. ... So the number one most important thing is that he came out of that session well, and then now we got to figure out how to plug him in. He’s going to be important, but I just don’t know right now what role.”

At first, the Dodgers weren't sure if Sasaki would be back in the rotation — where he appeared for 23 starts this season — or if he would head to the bullpen.

However, after Blake Snell exited Wednesday's start after one inning, Roberts confirmed Sasaki would rejoin the rotation for the time being.

Sasaki had a 4.72 ERA across the first eight starts of his MLB career last season before he was placed on the injured list with a shoulder impingement for over four months. Upon his late-September return, he was not placed back into the rotation, but rather into a bullpen role that saw plenty of success.

In his first two innings of work, Sasaki struck out four and allowed just one hit and zero runs. His next appearance came in the postseason.

For the remainder of the postseason — one that included the first three saves of his MLB career, the pivotal 8th through 10th innings of an NLDS thriller and even 2.2 innings in the World Series — Sasaki established a 0.84 ERA across 10.2 innings of work.

Sasaki will likely return to the bullpen for the postseason this year, especially with the question marks surrounding Edwin Díaz. However, for now, he appears set to make one more start, and improve upon his 4.60 ERA over 119.1 innings this season.

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