LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers made it clear that they needed to see Roki Sasaki dominate Minor League competition before the rookie right-hander could become a viable option for the big league club.
After his latest rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Sasaki would appear to have a more feasible path back to the Dodgers.
Sasaki struck out eight, walked four and allowed three runs on three hits in 4 2/3 innings on 90 pitches (52 strikes) against the Sacramento River Cats (Giants’ Triple-A affiliate) on Tuesday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.
Encouragingly, Sasaki threw harder than he had in four prior starts for the Comets, hitting triple digits six times and averaging 98.6 mph with his fastball — up 4 mph from his previous appearance. He also generated 16 whiffs, a season high for him in 13 starts between the Majors and the Minors.
“That’s great. That’s a good thing,” manager Dave Roberts said of Sasaki’s velocity. “That’s a good thing for the Dodgers and for Roki. We’ll have some conversations after this one, but that’s good to hear.”
Sasaki’s fifth outing with Oklahoma City — and possibly his last — began with four scoreless innings. His command began to deteriorate in the fifth, when the River Cats did their damage against him.
For pitchers, Minor League rehab assignments can last up to 30 days. Sasaki joined the Comets on Aug. 14, so his time runs out on Saturday. That means the Dodgers have a decision ahead.
There’s no opening for Sasaki in the rotation as things stand, because the six-man unit composed of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Clayton Kershaw and Emmet Sheehan have been a force to be reckoned with lately.
In eight starts for the Dodgers before going on the injured list with impingement in his right shoulder in May, Sasaki went 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA and nearly as many walks (22) as strikeouts (24).
If Sasaki were to rejoin the big league club, his best opportunity would likely come in the bullpen, perhaps in a long relief role.
Before Tuesday, when Sasaki was sitting mid-90s with his fastball, that didn’t seem like a plausible outcome. But if he can reliably hit at least the upper 90s in a shorter-burst role, then he could be a weapon for a bullpen in search of a handful of relievers to step up down the stretch.
Asked whether a bullpen role could be in the cards for Sasaki, Roberts said “anything’s possible.”
“I know Roki is anxious to get back here. I know he wants to contribute,” Roberts continued. “Like I said last week, guys are pitching well as far as starters. So we just got to see where he fits in, and we’ll have that conversation as an organization.”
Throughout September, the Dodgers are playing meaningful games, having entered Tuesday just a game ahead of the Padres in the NL West. Performance is the priority over getting Sasaki another look at the Major League level.
But if he proves he can help the big league club, then Sasaki could get a real opportunity to be an impact arm during the stretch run.
