Roki Sasaki was one of the Dodgers’ most trusted relievers during their march to a World Series title this season. But he is slated to begin 2026 where he began ’25: in Los Angeles’ rotation.
Via The Orange County Register, Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said recently that Sasaki will “absolutely” be in the team’s starting rotation next season, and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman concurred.
“I think for us, [using Sasaki as a reliever] was about trying to get his delivery back. I feel like we made a lot of progress on that,” Friedman told the Register. “So for us, we’re definitely viewing him as a starter and a really good one, and we’ll continue to work this offseason and put him in the best position to be ready in Spring Training to help us win again.”
Spotty control continued to be an issue for Sasaki, who walked 22 batters in 34 1/3 innings and posted a 4.72 ERA through eight starts before he went on the injured list in May with a right shoulder impingement. He recorded 24 strikeouts over those eight starts and had a below-league-average whiff rate of 20.4%.
On the shelf for more than three months, Sasaki didn’t return to action until Sept. 24 and did so in a new role. The Dodgers moved him to the bullpen, and that move paid dividends immediately. Throwing harder in abbreviated outings, Sasaki struck out four batters over a pair of scoreless, one-inning appearances to end the regular season. He didn’t issue a walk.
In the playoffs, Sasaki allowed one run over 10 2/3 innings and saved Games 1 and 2 of the National League Division Series against the Phillies. He did walk five batters, but he struck out six and his whiff rate as a reliever soared to 33.7%.
Sasaki would join Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow in the Dodgers’ 2026 rotation. Plus, they have Emmet Sheehan, Gavin Stone and River Ryan as a potential sixth starter and depth options. Neither Stone nor Ryan pitched this season as they recovered from right shoulder surgery and Tommy John surgery, respectively.
The Dodgers could replace Sasaki’s impact in the back of their bullpen by adding one of the top relievers in a talent-rich closer market. That group includes Edwin Díaz, Robert Suarez, Pete Fairbanks, Ryan Helsley, Raisel Iglesias, Kenley Jansen and Devin Williams. The Dodgers are among the many teams interested in Williams, according to a report in The Athletic.
Los Angeles also has in-house options such as Tanner Scott, who signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the club last offseason. He saved 23 games in 2025 but fell out of a high-leverage role after recording a 4.74 ERA with 10 blown saves. Scott was unavailable for the postseason after undergoing a procedure to treat a lower-body abscess, but Gomes said Scott will “certainly” get another chance to be the team’s closer.
