Not this year → Will he return soon? Roberts LAD's evaluation of Sasaki, which changed in just a few hours, will Sasaki stand on the mound again this year

Jun 17, 2025

Not this year → Will he return soon? Roberts LAD's evaluation of Sasaki, which changed in just a few hours, will Sasaki stand on the mound again this year
Loki Sasaki starts and pitches against Arizona on the 10th of last month (Korea time). AP Yonhap News



Not this year → Will he return soon? Roberts LAD's evaluation of Sasaki, which changed in just a few hours, will Sasaki stand on the mound again this year
Loki Sasaki (LA Dodgers), who shook the Major League last winter, has emerged as an object of interest again as a new issue. LA Dodgers manager Dave Roberts' back-and-forth remarks are further amplifying suspicions surrounding Sasaki.

The key eventually focuses on one. Will Sasaki be able to throw a 100-mile fastball again within this year?'

Sasaki from Japan knocked on the door of the Major League Baseball in a post last winter. The emergence of Sasaki, a special monster who throws a maximum speed of 100 miles, drew keen attention from major league clubs. After fierce recruitment competition, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Sasaki for $6.5 million (about 8.87 billion won) in the Cyning Bonus. Expectations for the establishment of the 「3 Japanese starting players」 along with the existing Ohtani Shohei and Yamamoto Yoshinobu have grown.




However, Sasaki, who wore a Dodgers uniform amid high expectations, did not live up to expectations at all when the season began. He entered the opening rotation and made his first appearance in a game against the Chicago Cubs at Tokyo Dome on March 19. He threw two balls over 100 miles at the time, but the pitch was not very good.

Not this year → Will he return soon? Roberts LAD's evaluation of Sasaki, which changed in just a few hours, will Sasaki stand on the mound again this year
In the end, Sasaki, who lost 1-1 and had a 4.72 ERA in eight games, started against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 10 and collapsed by allowing as many as five runs with five hits, two walks and one out in four innings. At this time, for the first time, shoulder pain was officially acknowledged. He said he had been in pain since the previous game against the Atlanta Braves on May 4.

In the end, Sasaki went into rehabilitation on May 14 while on the 15-day injured list (IL). Sasaki's injury was found to be 'right shoulder impression'.




From this point on, the timing of Sasaki's return fell into a mystery.

Shortly after listing on the injured list, Sasaki said in a local interview "I had similar shoulder pain last year, but it was worse than now. But it's a problem that I can overcome enough. It's a bit inconvenient, but it's not worse than before. I can still throw well," he said as if it were no big deal.

Not this year → Will he return soon? Roberts LAD's evaluation of Sasaki, which changed in just a few hours, will Sasaki stand on the mound again this year
LA Dodgers Roki Sasaki stopped pitching rehabilitation. The news is that the right shoulder injury has recurred. ImagesYonhap News
However, Sashiki's rehabilitation was not smooth. Sasaki, who has been on a light catch since the 31st of last month, suddenly stopped the catch schedule for the first time in about two weeks. In response, MLB.COM put a brake on Sasaki's recovery on the 16th. We can't guarantee his return to the game,' Sasaki said, temporarily suspending the catch ahead of the final game of his three-game home series against the San Francisco Giants. "It stopped. We can't predict when to resume pitching," Roberts said.




In this regard, Roberts said, "Stop the catch ball is a very careful decision. "I hope Sasaki will come back someday and contribute to the team," he said. "But speaking of this year, we have to make plans for situations where Sasaki is not present." In fact, I was referring to Sasaki's 'Season Out'.

However, Roberts told a completely different story a few hours later on the same day. Roberts, who was interviewed again after the match against San Francisco, said "Sasaki will recover soon because he doesn't feel pain anymore. be already on the move," he said as if he was taking steps to return.

Not this year → Will he return soon? Roberts LAD's evaluation of Sasaki, which changed in just a few hours, will Sasaki stand on the mound again this year
In other words, a completely different story came out of the director's mouth just a few hours apart. This has left neither side credible. Nothing is certain right now between Sasaki's season out and preparation for his return. Dodgers Way, which deals with Dodgers news, criticized Dodgers' information management system, saying, `From Roberts' point of view, it would be conveying the information that comes in, but it is questionable whether all remarks can continue to conflict.'

In the end, it is unclear whether Sasaki will be out of the season as it is or will return in the second half. What is certain is that Sasaki's first season, which was called a `super-special prospect,' is heading toward the worst outcome.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.