The Los Angeles Dodgers placed right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki on the injured list Tuesday with right shoulder impingement. Manager Dave Roberts revealed Sasaki was dealing with arm soreness and the team was contemplating placing him on the IL.
In a corresponding move, the Dodgers recalled right-hander J.P. Feyereisen.
Sasaki has a 4.42 ERA and 1.485 WHIP across eight starts this season. The rookie’s last start against the Arizona Diamondbacks felt like he took a step backward after the outing ended after four-plus innings where he gave up five earned runs, two walks, and threw zero strikeouts.
The right-hander’s fastball that was once so electric in Nippon Professional Baseball, did not draw a single whiff against Arizona. Roberts admitted he was concerned about Sasaki’s lack of command.
“Because if you don’t have velocity when you’re talking 98, 99 (mph), then command becomes more of a priority,” Roberts said. “When you’re throwing mid-90s, 94, then you have to really command the baseball. So that’s what we’re going to work on as a group. Roki understands that. And this is still his first season here, so there has to be some grace, as he’s kind of learning this league and kind of getting his footing.”
Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior recently spoke about the process of trying to fix some of Sasaki’s recent issues on the mound, including his command and decreased velocity.
“There’s been a lot of conversations about a lot of different things,” Prior said. “Again, we go every week with him, and we’ve been trying to shed light on things where we think there’s gonna be some improvement. But ultimately, again, I think it’s just him trying to get his footing under him, and be comfortable in what he’s doing.”
While the root cause about Sasaki’s ongoing issues on the mound remains ambiguous, the Dodgers now have three starters who opened the season in the rotation on the IL. Sasaki, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow are currently sidelined by different injuries.
