After watching Roki Sasaki absolutely dominate in his playoff debut against the Cincinnati Reds, earning two Ks on 11 pitches for a 1-2-3 inning, Los Angeles Dodgers fans the world over have borderline demanded Dave Roberts officially give him the role, sending Tanner Scott to the bench for good in favor of the rookie phenom.
Fortunately, it would appear Roberts has heard those calls and acknowledged them, telling reporters during his media availability session that he would be comfortable giving Sasaki the ball in high-leverage situations.
“I would. I would,” Roberts declared. “I think that the way he's handled himself up to this point, there's been no signs for me, which I had assumed that the moment would be too big. And I have full confidence in whatever leverage role we put him in.”
Asked if Sasaki's recent elevation has been a credit to his bullpen as a whole, Roberts said yes, noting that he believes the rookie ex-starter could galvanize the troops and get everyone throwing their best stuff.
“I think so. I think I hope so. I hope it's something that energizes the guys in the pen, motivates them, because, you know, everyone wants innings and opportunities,” Roberts noted. “And so hopefully with what Roki’s done, motivates guys to go after guys and pitch well. And so they can earn those opportunities as well.”
When the Dodgers won the “Roki Sasaki sweepstakes” before the 2025 MLB season, it looked like he was going to be a top-tier starting quarterback who could go right away and play alongside Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for years to come. Instead, he struggled early, got injured, and looked like he wouldn't play another game in 2025, until some rehab luck, a great stretch in OKC, and the idea to use him as a high velocity reliever became simply too good to pass up for Roberts and company. With the NLDS rapidly approaching, expect to see Sasaki pitch when it counts and Roberts' trust to grow with each successful inning.
