Roki Sasaki, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ highly anticipated rookie, is set to make his spring training debut on Tuesday night, though not in a starting role.
The team announced that their prized offseason acquisition will appear in relief, following starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yamamoto’s outing is planned for approximately four innings as he progresses towards regular-season readiness, while the Dodgers anticipate Sasaki pitching around three innings.
Roki Sasaki To Debut As Reliever For Los Angeles Dodgers
They will host the Cincinnati Reds at Camelback Ranch on Tuesday, with the game scheduled to begin at 8:05 p.m. ET. Broadcast coverage will be available on SportsNet LA, MLB Network in the Reds’ market, and MLB.TV for out-of-market viewers.
Prior to this appearance, Sasaki participated in a spring training game against the Chicago White Sox, which Los Angeles pitching coach Mark Prior described as a “hybrid-b” game (not an official Cactus League game). During that outing, White Sox prospect Kyle Teel hit a home run off Sasaki’s second pitch. Prior to that, Sasaki’s spring training activity had been limited to bullpen sessions.
“He’s been a star since he was 16 years old,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com. “He probably hasn’t got hit a lot, but I do think that some of these guys that I’ve seen that have been really good, elite pitchers — when they get hit in the mouth, they respond back. He doesn’t run from competition, and that’s part of his pedigree.”