LOS ANGELES — On the finish of what has usually been a optimistic week for injured Dodgers beginning pitchers, the group is hitting pause with rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki.
Sasaki stopped taking part in catch within the days earlier than Sunday’s finale towards the Giants, and supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned there isn’t any timeline for him to renew throwing. There may be now much less certainty that Sasaki will probably be again this season, though the Dodgers usually are not counting out a return.
“Being thrust right here into this atmosphere definitely was a giant endeavor for him. And then you definitely layer within the well being a part of it, and then you definitely layer he is a beginning pitcher, the buildup, what that entails,” Roberts mentioned. “I feel that that is the prudent solution to go about it. No matter we get from him, and anticipating him to be again, clearly, and contributing.
“However I feel, yeah, the mindset must be we acquired to plan on life with out him, so far as this yr.”
Expectations for Sasaki have been sky-high when he signed with the Dodgers this previous offseason after 4 years as among the best pitchers in Nippon Skilled Baseball. He flashed a few of that tantalizing potential however did not put all of it collectively in his first eight begins. He posted a 4.72 ERA throughout 34 1/3 innings earlier than touchdown on the 15-day injured record with an impingement in his proper shoulder on Could 13.
Sasaki resumed throwing round two weeks after occurring the IL. He did not progress past gentle catch earlier than being shut down once more this week. When the 23-year-old right-hander final spoke to the media, sooner or later after occurring the IL, he acknowledged that this shoulder harm is just like the one which precipitated him to overlook time in his final season in Japan.
“Final yr, I did have one thing related, however truly worse,” Sasaki mentioned by way of interpreter Will Ireton. “It was one thing I used to be in a position to overcome and nonetheless carry out. It is one thing that I considerably really feel, however to not the extent that I felt from earlier than.”
The Dodgers had mentioned that Sasaki was pain-free as soon as he picked up a baseball once more, however Roberts mentioned that some discomfort returned as Sasaki tried to ramp again up. Sasaki has had no medical intervention apart from a pain-killing injection, and he isn’t anticipated to get any extra checks on his shoulder.
“I feel that we have taken the scans,” Roberts mentioned. “So proper now, it is form of a consolation factor for him and a confidence factor.”
The group has preached persistence with its injured beginning pitchers this yr, sustaining that the aim is to carry everyone again the precise method — and hopefully in time for one more deep postseason run.
The Dodgers’ rotation is sort of again at 5 wholesome starters, with the anticipated addition of Emmet Sheehan this coming week. Shohei Ohtani may not be lengthy behind. Whereas Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell are nonetheless some time away, Glasnow has resumed going through hitters and Snell is again to throwing bullpen classes.
In all probability, the Dodgers have the depth to get by if Sasaki does not return by the tip of the season, despite the fact that they’re hopeful he’ll nonetheless be part of their plans.
