Baseball

Roki Sasaki as a reliever: the Dodgers consider it (for the end of the season)
Félix Forget
Roki Sasaki as a reliever: the Dodgers consider it (for the end of the season)
Credit: Last winter, Roki Sasaki was one of the big names on the autonomy market. The young pitcher, who has been impressing for several years in Japan, finally landed in America sooner than expected. The Blue Jays were in the thick of it… but in the end, Sasaki joined Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Los […]

Last winter, Roki Sasaki was one of the big names on the autonomy market. The young pitcher, who has been impressing for several years in Japan, finally landed in America sooner than expected.

The Blue Jays were in the thick of it… but in the end, Sasaki joined Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Los Angeles.

That said, Sasaki's debut in America wasn't a stellar one. In eight starts, Sasaki has maintained a 4.72 ERA… and he hasn't pitched in the majors for several months due to shoulder problems.

Yet in recent weeks, Sasaki has been making rehab starts in the minors, and the Dodgers will soon have to make a decision in his case. Manager Dave Roberts was asked about it… and mentioned the idea of having Sasaki pitch in relief to finish the year.

And the young Japanese is open to the idea.

With the Dodgers currently banking on Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Clayton Kershaw Tyler Glasnow in the rotation, it would be hard to justify a rotation spot for Sasaki for the playoffs, especially since the youngster hasn't broken anything as a starter this season.

On the other hand, using him in relief is interesting in that he's capable of throwing multiple innings, but also in that we know the quality of his pitching could make him an intriguing reliever.

And when you consider that the team's big relievers (Blake Treinen, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates) aren't really having great seasons, seeing Sasaki emerge as a trusted arm in the bullpen could really help the club.

So, we'll see how things pan out for Sasaki, but don't be surprised to see him used as a reliever over the next few weeks.

It's probably not the scenario the Dodgers were initially hoping for… but if he can help out in relief, the club certainly won't say no.

This content was created with the help of AI.

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