Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Roki Sasaki Injury Update: Dodgers Hit With Major Blow as Rookie Lands on IL With No Timeline

Roki Sasaki lands on the IL with a shoulder issue.

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitching depth took another major hit this week, as rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki was placed on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement, an issue similar to the one that sidelined him last year in Japan.

Roki Sasaki first reported soreness following his most recent outing on Friday against the Diamondbacks. It was the first time he’d pitched on five days’ rest in the majors, and the results weren’t encouraging: four innings, five earned runs, and 61 pitches before getting the hook. He underwent imaging on Monday’s off-day, which confirmed the shoulder issue. The Dodgers offered no timeline for his return.

“He won’t pick up a baseball for a while,” manager Dave Roberts said.

Roki Sasaki had been slated to start Thursday’s game against the Oakland Athletics, but the Dodgers are expected to pivot to a bullpen game instead. J.P. Feyereisen was recalled to help patch the rotation in the meantime. He allowed three runs on six hits over two innings of relief Tuesday.

The 23-year-old joined the Dodgers in January after four electric seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Nippon Professional Baseball. Armed with a fastball that regularly touched triple digits in Japan, Sasaki made headlines during his MLB debut in Tokyo by dialing it up to 99 mph in the first inning against the Cubs. But that velocity has steadily dipped into the mid-90s in the months since, and his overall transition to the majors has been uneven.

Through eight starts, Sasaki owns a 1-1 record and a 4.72 ERA. He’s struck out 24 batters in 34⅓ innings, holding opponents to a .225 average.

Roki Sasaki Joins Long List of Injured Dodger Pitchers

This latest injury is a frustrating setback in what has already been a bumpy introduction to Major League Baseball, and it adds to the Dodgers’ mounting injury crisis on the mound. Sasaki joins a long list of pit cher s currently sidelined:

Tyler Glasnow
Brusdar Graterol
Michael Grove
Edgardo Henriquez
Kyle Hurt
Clayton Kershaw
Michael Kopech
Shohei Ohtani* (Playing DH but not pitching)
Evan Phillips
River Ryan
Emmet Sheehan
Blake Snell
Gavin Stone
Blake Treinen

ALSO READ: Kyle Tucker Free Agency: Could Dodgers Steal Him from the Cubs?

With so many arms shelved and no return date set for Sasaki, the Dodgers’ rotation stability, once a luxury, now feels increasingly tenuous.

Dodgers

Roki Sasaki

Mohsin Baldiwala

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Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.