While other stories like Juan Soto hung a heavy cloud over the offseason, one of the most popular discussion points was Roki Sasaki’s free agency decision. Of course, the Los Angeles Dodgers won the Sasaki sweepstakes, leading to extremely high hopes for the potential superstar pitcher.
Sasaki has gotten off to a respectable start, holding steady with a 4.72 ERA in 34.1 innings pitched. Yet, he hasn’t been able to take the mound since May 9, when Sasaki lasted four innings while allowing five hits, five earned runs (two home runs), two walks (including one hit batter), and zero strikeouts. It was his first MLB outing with no strikeouts.
Shortly after his latest start, which featured reduced velocity, it was discovered that Sasaki had been pitching with soreness in his shoulder, leading to a trip to the Injured List. He was officially diagnosed with a right shoulder impingement.
However, on Sunday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed that Sasaki is scheduled to resume throwing again next week. The plan is for Sasaki to slowly ramp up his workload in anticipation of returning to the mound for more starts.
While it’s promising that Sasaki is improved enough to ramp up his activity, the Dodgers still aren’t providing any indication of an injury timeline for his eventual return to the rotation.
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