#roki-sasaki

#roki-sasaki

It marks a third time Yates has been on the injured list this season and seemingly puts his availability for the playoffs in jeopardy. At minimum, he is guaranteed to miss when the Dodgers likely start the postseason in the Wild Card Series. Yates previously missed time from the middle of May into the first week of June because of a right hamstring strain.

Sasaki endured inconsistent fastball velocity and results through eight starts before going on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement. His recovery included a setback and at one point Sasaki pitching again in 2025 appeared to be in question. He eventually began to make steady progress and began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Aug. 14.

The Dodgers ' exploration of Sasaki as a late-inning option is a reflection of the 23-year-old rookie's upside, but this isn't a commentary of Sasaki as much as it is of the roster. The team's bullpen problems have persisted into the final week of the regular season, and the potential solutions sound like miracles, starting with Sasaki's audition for a postseason role as a reliever.

"I think that's fair," Roberts began. "Being thrust here into this environment certainly was a big undertaking for him. And then you layer in the health part of it..."

Roki Sasaki is targeting a return in late June from what the team described as a shoulder impingement, but the rookie never looked entirely comfortable before he went down, so who knows what he will offer them when he comes back.