The Dodgers are cruising along with an MLB-best 16-7 record (tied with the Padres) and a share of first in a competitive NL West. Still, more pitching help should be on the way soon. Lefty Blake Snell is slated to start for Single-A Ontario Tower Buzzers tonight as he builds up for his season debut, according to Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
Shoulder fatigue in his throwing arm dates back to last year. While Snell was able to toss an excellent 95 1/3 innings between the regular season and postseason last year, the Dodgers erred on the side of caution and placed the left-hander on the IL to open the season. Snell is tabbed for three innings tonight and will need four starts to build up to the five-inning/75-pitch MLB level, placing his earliest big league return timeline as late May.
Even in Snell’s absence, the Dodgers rotation hasn’t missed a beat. Their 14 quality starts lead all of MLB entering play today. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Shohei Ohtani have been typically excellent, but Justin Wrobleski has offered some surprising stability at the back of the rotation (despite a lack of strikeouts). Between Wrobleski, Emmet Sheehan, and Roki Sasaki, the Dodgers will have a rotation decision to make in the coming weeks upon Snell’s return.
Sasaki has recorded outs in the fifth inning in only two of his four starts this season. Given his excellence operating out of the bullpen in last year’s championship run, it’s natural to wonder if Sasaki could be ticketed for relief. At least for now, Sasaki’s role appears to be safe. In response to a hypothetical Sasaki in relief, Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes gave Fabian Ardaya and Katie Woo of The Athletic a flat “No.” Reading between the lines, it appears the final rotation spot will fall to Wrobleski or Sheehan, with Wrobleski currently occupying the inside track. Performance in the coming weeks could shift this assessment (and injuries to the rest of the rotation could upend it entirely).
It’s an interesting position by Gomes and the organization, given Sasaki’s struggles, but it reflects the Dodgers’ long-term belief in his potential. Sasaki surrendered only a single run in 10 2/3 innings last postseason, but wasn’t dominant by any means. His 2.3 K-BB% was lackluster, and ERA models like xFIP (5.72) and SIERA (5.35) didn’t love his work in an admittedly small sample. However, Sasaki was able to corral the long ball issues (again, small sample size) that have plagued his MLB work up to this point. In all likelihood, Sasaki’s gutsy October performance had little bearing on the organization’s long-term vision for him.
Sasaki’s 2026 starting work looks largely similar to 2025, with a marginal improvement in strikeouts and more fly balls leaving the yard on a rate basis. But if the Dodgers remain committed to locking him into rotation, one of Wrobleski or Sheehan will be squeezed off the roster or the bullpen. Fortunately, both Wrobleski and Sheehan have options remaining, meaning either of them can be freely moved between the major league club and its minor league affiliates them being exposed to waivers. Sasaki also has options remaining, meaning the Dodgers could theoretically allow him to continue working as a starter in the minors if they want to keep him stretched out as a starter, though this route seems unlikely.
LA’s bullpen pecking order is also currently under evaluation after closer Edwin Diaz went under the knife to remove loose bodies in his throwing elbow. While manager Dave Roberts acknowledged top lefty Tanner Scott could receive the majority of the save opportunities, he stopped short of anointing him interim closer, plainly stating (via Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register) the approach as “…the closer-by-committee way of doing it.” High-leverage righty Brock Stewart, currently rehabbing with Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, is also nearing a return. Between lefties (Scott and Alex Vesia) and righties (Blake Treinen and Stewart), Roberts should have a multitude of options at his disposal to attack hitters in the late innings until Diaz’s reinstatement.
And LAD has been without Betts, Edman and Kiké Hernandez, all of whom should return in late May.
I wonder why it is so natural to wonder about Sasaki going to the bullpen when the team’s answer is a flat no. Does “no” sound a lot like “maybe” to anyone? Isn’t it more natural to imagine that they’ll send him down to work on his control issues and third pitch?
Blue
Logical inquiry. Diaz is out. Snell is coming back. A shift would address both.
But I agree with you that it is not going to happen anytime soon and that a phantom IL and/or minors stint is more likely.
No reason to imagine any phantom IL trips. He needs to pitch, and he’s got options, so it isn’t IL or bust. If he can’t hack the majors, he goes to the minors.
“…erred on the side of caution…”
Who’s to say whether they made a mistake in their decision?
Sasaki needs to simply throw more strikes. He has to work on his mechanics. He goes to AAA when Snell is back is my guess.
To me it’s a no brainer. Sasaki needs to stay in AAA until he figures it out and produces results to prove it.
I think it’s a no-brainer, too, but the official belief in the Dodgers front office is that there’s nothing more for him to learn in the minor leagues, which I don’t quite understand, but that’s what they’re saying. So he’s going to have to prove it and fix things at the majors, which again, at his age and inexperience in the big leagues is also a bit confusing to me. Seems like they want quicker results, despite the early talk of being willing to develop him.
He’s got plenty to learn in the minors: command and a third quality pitch. No reason this to happen in the majors. Keep in mind, he’s only 24.
Nah. One of the others will have a similar obscure injury
Snell is the most expensive starter that will average five innings per start. He may have two excellent seasons for the rest of his career.
And if they continue to win championships it’s totally worth it.
hh
“that will average five innings per start. ”
Who cares
More important how well you pitch than how much you pitch
Dodgers are adamant that Sasaki is a starter, ignoring the failures as a starter last year (and so far this year) and his successes out of the pen. They were also adamant about giving Conforto 500 ABs to demonstrate he was a good signing, and then not playing him at all in the post-season. Not sure if they’re saving face, but the results are smacking them in the face.
Also, no way Wrobleski loses his spot in the rotation.
Conforto was given every chance to perform, and couldn’t find his game on either side of the ball.
He wasn’t in the playoff roster as a result. Pretty sure it worked out just fine for the Dodgers. Same with Scott and Yates.
They have a plan for Sasaki, and are following that plan. With him in the rotation they have had the best record in baseball. There isn’t any need for knee jerk reactions when you expect there might be issues. They told the fans before the season he was starting and to be patient with how it played out.
Worst case scenario is he gets sent down to start in the minors while working on a few things. I don’t see the issue.
Ces
“his successes out of the pen”
Did you read the article? Sasaki was very mediocre as a reliever
Read it, but more importantly, saw every single inning he pitched in the post season. Did you watch him pitch?
He got outs. Closed games. Spare me the models and opinions based on small sample sizes.
Ces
“opinions based on small sample sizes.”
That’s all there is
And he wasn’t very good
The ironic thing is that unless Roki becomes a completely different pitcher the rest of the season, he’s going to the bullpen in the postseason anyways. The Dodgers may be stubborn, but they’re not stupid.
That Snell had arm fatigue after only pitching two months and some playoff games, to me is a little concerning.
I wonder if Max Fried might not have been a better investment long-term for them.
“Availability is the best ability” I would prefer fried to snell any day.
It’s code for “Snell always starts cold , so why not start his season later?”
I’m a Dodger fan, but not a Homer. There was nothing “gutsy” about Sasaki’s playoff performance last year. He pitched 3 great innings of relief against the Phillies, but after that he was shelled. And right now he hasn’t earned a spot i. the rotation. River Ryan should be called up while Sasaki goes to the pen or actually learns how to pitch in America while in the minors.
River Ryan is on the IL.
The Dodgers have time and other pitching options. It’s not like they have to rush anything yet. When Snell comes back, they should already have an idea of what moves they want to make to the pitching staff and Sasaki.
River might be best used as spot starter and bulk relief. He’s looking good. They’re also letting Sheehan when out the kinks as well.
Investments now will pay off later. They don’t need to win 120 games. They need everyone at their best in the playoffs.
He gave up 1 ER in 10 2/3 IPs in the postseason. WHIP was 1. Aside from the BBs, he was pretty dominant.
He’ll be a critical piece to the pen, especially if Treinen continues to falter and Graterol fails to come back strong.
I’m rooting for Ryan and Stone to contribute, but they’ll need MLB innings that the Dodgers seem to want for Sasaki.
Cesar
The ball that got stuck in the wall saved him ever so much
Yessir. Baseball is a crazy game. You think you’ve seen it all until you haven’t.
Can’t figure how ohtani had a 53 game on base streak (24 games this year) yet is only batting .258
Walks
He gets walked. A lot.
He also has been hit by pitch.
Citizen
“Can’t figure how ohtani had a 53 game on base streak (24 games this year) yet is only batting .258”
Really?
Ok
1) walks exist. If you’d quit looking at a stat ignores them and treats a home run and single as equal, you’d be better off.
2) You just need to get on base once every game to have a streak.
Fielder’s choice also counts, but really shouldn’t. SFG finished it.
wouldn’t be too surprising if during the Sasaki sweepstakes the Dodgers made the commitment to stick w him as a starter. he can develop down the road. it makes sense w the current situation for him to give some innings out of the pen.
What part of “no”…