Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki is set to rejoin the team on Wednesday. He’s expected to be activated from the 60-day IL after missing more than four months with a shoulder impingement. Sasaki will work out of the bullpen, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Sonja Chen of MLB.com). Los Angeles already has an open 40-man roster spot after waiving Chuckie Robinson over the weekend, so they’ll only need to make an active roster move.
Sasaki hit the IL on May 9 with the shoulder issue. He made seven appearances on his rehab assignment, posting a 6.10 ERA across 20 2/3 innings with Triple-A Oklahoma City. Sasaki initially worked as a starter during his minor league stint but appeared in relief in his final two outings. He tossed a pair of scoreless, hitless innings as a reliever, notching three strikeouts.
It’s been a challenging season for Sasaki in his first taste of big-league action. The NPB import has scuffled to a 4.72 ERA across eight MLB starts. The underlying metrics are even worse, with Sasaki recording an unsightly 5.88 SIERA and a 6.38 xERA. Shaky control was the main culprit. Sasaki had nearly as many walks (22) as strikeouts (24) over 34 1/3 innings. His massive 14.3% walk rate is more than double his worst season with the Chiba Lotte Marines (7.1% in 2024). The shoulder injury could’ve affected Sasaki’s command, though the 13.7% BB% during his rehab assignment doesn’t suggest much improvement.
Sasaki will have five days to make his case for the postseason roster. Los Angeles could certainly use another viable option in the bullpen. The Dodgers rank 20th in bullpen ERA on the season, and they’ve slipped to 25th in September. Michael Kopech is back on the IL, this time with knee inflammation. Tanner Scott has a 7.27 ERA and a pair of blown saves since returning from an elbow injury. Blake Treinen melted down again on Sunday against San Francisco. The veteran has allowed three earned runs on three occasions in September alone after allowing multiple runs just three times in 2024. A few decent showings from Sasaki out of the bullpen could be enough to earn him a spot on the playoff squad.
With the Dodgers boasting a largely healthy stable of starters to close the season, a return to the rotation wasn’t an option for Sasaki. Blake Snell returned in early August after dealing with his own shoulder injury, joining mainstays Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow. Los Angeles has gotten passable contributions from Clayton Kershaw in what will be his final season, plus a breakout year from Emmet Sheehan. With Shohei Ohtani back on the mound and regularly tossing five innings, there wasn’t any room for Sasaki. The Dodgers will likely pare down their six-man rotation in the postseason, leaving even fewer opportunities for Sasaki to function as a starter.
Kershaw’s departure will open one rotation spot in 2026, though Sasaki will have plenty of competition to fill the job. Kyle Hurt and River Ryan should return after both underwent Tommy John surgery in 2024. Gavin Stone could be back in the mix after shoulder surgery last October. Ben Casparius and Landon Knack are hanging around in the minors. And of course, the deep-pocketed Dodgers will likely be contenders for the top arms on the free agent market.
Releasing chuckie will create The Curse of Chuckie where the dodgers won’t win another World Series until 2067
It will be like the national league version of the curse of the bambino so the padres are going to have a dynasty soon
I feel like I’m going to upchuck.
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Roberts actually brought Tanner Scott in again and he blew the save, again! He has 11 blown saves this year. Yates and Scott are arsonists not firemen.
If they allow Treinen, Yates and Scott to pitch in high leverage, the Dodgers won’t make it out of the Wild Card….
Yates shouldn’t make the postseason roster.
Scott can only be used in very specific low leverage situations. His stuff is ok but his mentality and body language is terrible. I would rather have Bazooka out there with minimal prep time.
Blake should get every opportunity to find his control. And if he can’t, only be used in low leverage. He is one of the main reasons we won it all last year. And his arm is paying the price this year. Fair trade-off for a ring if you ask me.
Shut down Sasaki and Treinan and hope both will do well in 2026.
Emmet, Clayton and Dreyer will be key relief pitchers on 2025.
Yamamoto is an ace, Snell and Ohtani are aces when healthy, Glasnow is a four that can be an ace. Only Yamamoto can regularly go 100+ pitches in post-season though. Half to wonder if the Dodgers decide to piggy back Snell, Ohtani, Glasgow and Emmet if they make a second round.
Either Yates or Treinan should be left off postseason roster. Maybe Treinan on first round to get him rest and then Yates for however much longer the Dodgers last.
I have a high level of confidence that Dodgers will beat the Mets if that series occurs … but if Dodgers face Cubs or Snakes I put those odds closer to even. I have not seen Reds’ pitching for a week, so I can’t even put a guess on the 1970s rivalry series of Dodgers v. Reds.
If Sasaki has regained his WBC form he’ll be a good addition to the postseason bullpen.
He’s going to get an audition tomorrow.
Vesia, Dreyer and even Banda have passed the the test in September. Add Emmet and Clayton to that and Dodgers bullpen looks ok. Edgardo does not look as good but hard for me to see Sasaki passing Edgardo or Tanner. More interested to see if Stewart can help, Sasaki can give pen some rest though. Have to believe Dodgers want to stay ahead of San Diego either way. I think Sasaki will be a factor in 2026 if healthy. Wrobleski and Casperius were 2025 Dodgers heroes, but I think they would be overmatched against Phillies or Brewers in postseason.
Bust