Roki Sasaki's Timeline to Return Revealed

Los Angeles Dodgers right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki was the third starter who began the season in the Opening Day rotation to land on the injured list. Sasaki joined Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow on the IL with a right shoulder impingement, similar to the injury he dealt with last season in Nippon Professional Baseball.

Los Angeles Times columnist Dylan Hernandez revealed the rookie is aiming to return by late June.

"Roki Sasaki is targeting a return in late June from what the team described as a shoulder impingement, but the rookie never looked entirely comfortable before he went down, so who knows what he will offer them when he comes back," Hernandez writes.

Sasaki has a 4.42 ERA with 24 strikeouts and a 1.485 WHIP across eight starts this season. While the rookie has yet to find his rhythm in Major League Baseball, he revealed he planned on making necessary improvements during his stint on the IL.

“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 Japanese fireballer whose splitter was deemed unhittable hasn't looked like himself during his early tenure in MLB. Sasaki's last start prior to landing on the IL was nightmarish as he gave up five earned runs, two walks, and threw no strikeouts across four-plus innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

However, it was later revealed the right-hander was already dealing with the injury, which may have hurt his performance. Nevertheless, there will be plenty of eyes watching Sasaki upon his return to the mound.

Prior to the injury, there were several rumblings wondering whether Sasaki should be sent down to the minors, rather than remain in the rotation. His performance will likely answer those questions once he returns.