Sasaki did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Rangers. He allowed two runs on two hits and three walks while striking out four across six innings.
Sasaki has shown gradual improvement over his five starts this season, and Saturday's outing was arguably his best yet. His only blemish came in the third inning, when he yielded a two-run homer to Kyle Higashioka, but Sasaki was able to make it through six frames on 78 pitches (49 strikes) while generating 16 first-pitch strikes to the 22 batters he faced. Over his last three starts, Sasaki has registered a 2.40 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 11:7 K:BB across 15 innings. He'll look to earn his first win of his major-league career in his next start, which is tentatively lined up for next weekend at home against the Pirates.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Shows improvement again Saturday
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Sasaki (0-1) took the loss against the Cubs on Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out three batters over five innings.
Sasaki continues to be a work in progress, and his stat line would have looked a lot different had center fielder Andy Pages not brought back what looked to be a grand slam off the bat of Michael Busch in the third inning. Still, Saturday was another step forward for the young hurler, as he completed five frames for the first time in his big-league career. Sasaki also showed much better control than he did earlier in the campaign, as he threw 50 of his 81 pitches for strikes. The right-hander's 12:13 K:BB through 13.2 frames remains ugly, but Sasaki has at least been better with a 7:4 K:BB across his past two starts. Despite his inconsistencies so far, Sasaki has managed a 3.29 ERA, and Los Angeles appears comfortable letting him work through his growing pains with the big club rather than in the minors.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Strikes out four in no-decision
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Sasaki did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 3-1 win against the Phillies, allowing one run on three hits and two walks with four strikeouts over four innings.
Sasaki worked into the fifth inning and was lifted at 68 pitches after allowing the first two batters of the frame to reach base. While the rookie's current workload continues to limit his short-term upside, he threw 41 strikes and has lowered his walk total in consecutive outings. The 23-year-old will carry a 4.15 ERA, 2.08 WHIP and 9:11 K:BB across 8.2 innings into a home matchup with the Cubs next weekend.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: No-decision in MLB debut
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Sasaki didn't factor in the decision Wednesday against the Cubs in Tokyo after giving up one run on one hit and five walks over three innings. He struck out three.
The 23-year-old appeared to be battling some nerves as he threw just 25 of his 56 pitches for strikes, but he buckled down after issuing a bases-loaded walk during the third inning with two straight strikeouts to end the frame. The control issues aside, it was a good debut for Sasaki, who was able to limit the damage to a single run despite the significant traffic. The right-hander will now have some time before the Dodgers start their domestic schedule against the Tigers next Thursday. Sasaki will likely continue to have some pitch restrictions as he builds up his workload over his next few starts.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Will start Game 2 of Tokyo Series
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Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Sasaki will make his MLB debut March 19 against the Cubs in the second game of the Tokyo Series, Kirsten Watson of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.
The expectation all spring had been that Sasaki would get to pitch while the Dodgers were in Japan, but it has now been made official. The 23-year-old made his second appearance of the spring Tuesday in Los Angeles' final Cactus League game, allowing just one hit over four shutout innings while striking out two batters and walking two. His first regular-season test will come against a Cubs squad that posted an .868 OPS during spring training.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Strikes out five in spring debut
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Sasaki allowed two hits and a walk while striking out five batters over three scoreless innings during his Cactus League debut Tuesday against the Reds.
Sasaki averaged 98 mph on his fastball Tuesday and topped out at 99.3 mph, which manager Dave Roberts said he hadn't seen from him all spring, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com. While Sasaki's velocity was up, he had a bit of a tough time locating, throwing only 26 of his 46 pitches for strikes. Eight of those strikes were swings and misses, and seven of those were generated using his splitter. The Dodgers haven't yet confirmed when the 23-year-old's next appearance will be, but the team will likely look to get him at least one more outing in preparation for his major-league debut during the Tokyo Series.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Making spring debut Tuesday
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Manager Dave Roberts confirmed Friday that Sasaki will make his Cactus League debut Tuesday against the Reds, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Roberts noted that although Sasaki will be making his first spring appearance Tuesday, the start will be given to Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Sasaki pitched three innings in a simulated game earlier this week, and the plan is for him to pitch at least that much in his Cactus League debut.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Throws three simulated innings
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Sasaki threw three simulated innings against White Sox hitters Tuesday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Sasaki only induced four swings and misses on 38 pitches, per Plunkett. The right-hander also gave up a homer to prospect Kyle Teel on the second pitch he threw, but regardless manager Dave Roberts seems pleased with where Sasaki is in his buildup process, saying that the 23-year-old's fastball velocity is "right where we'd expect it to be." It remains to be seen when exactly Sasaki will make his Cactus League debut, but the expectation is still that he will toe the rubber March 19 in the second game of the Dodgers' season-opening series against the Cubs in Tokyo.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Spring debut coming next week
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Sasaki is slated to make his Cactus League debut sometime next week, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Sasaki is expected to start March 19, the Dodgers' second of two games in Tokyo against the Cubs to begin the regular season. With his first spring training outing coming soon, it would seem to line Sasaki up for three exhibition appearances before his outing in Tokyo.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Previously contemplated Tommy John
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Sasaki was given a recommendation to undergo Tommy John surgery by a doctor prior to his first season with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Sasaki decided against having the operation and eventually discovered the issue was shoulder-related, with a nerve problem leading to discomfort in his elbow. The 23-year-old had durability issues throughout his career in Japan, most recently being limited by arm an oblique injuries over the last two seasons. Sasaki topped out at 129.1 innings with Chiba Lotte in 2022 and tossed 111 frames in 2024. While there don't appear to be any current health-related concerns with the righty, the Dodgers undoubtedly will be careful with his workload. Sasaki is expected to be part of a six-man rotation in 2025, and it's likely additional rest will be built in for him whenever feasible.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Expected to begin year in rotation
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President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Wednesday that the Dodgers plan to use Sasaki in their major-league rotation from the beginning of the season, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Sasaki officially signed a minor-league contract with Los Angeles on Wednesday, but there are seemingly no plans to ease him into his first year with the Dodgers. However, the 23-year-old righty never pitched more than 129.1 innings in a year over his four seasons in Japan, so the Dodgers may look for other ways -- such as a six-man rotation -- to limit his rookie-season workload.
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Dodgers' Roki Sasaki: Headed to Los Angeles
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Sasaki agreed to terms on a contract with the Dodgers on Friday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Sasaki received offers from many teams but ultimately decided to join the Dodgers, who were heavily favored to land the 23-year-old from the beginning. The right-hander receives a $6.5 million signing bonus, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Over four seasons in Japan, Sasaki compiled a 2.02 ERA and 0.88 WHIP across 414.2 innings. Although his deal is officially only a minor-league contract, the phenom is certainly talented enough to pitch in the majors immediately. That being said, it's unclear where he will fit in the Dodgers' star-studded rotation.
