With Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, and Blake Snell, again, returning to the rotation, the Los Angeles Dodgers are finally settling into a sense of normalcy in the pitching department, with Kirby Yates, Tanner Scott, and Blake Treinin all working their way back to full strength in the bullpen.
Could Roki Sasaki soon add yet another arm to the Dodgers' optionality? Well, considering the rookie phenom just threw his third rehab assignment in OKC, things are certainly pointing in that direction.
Taking to social media to report on the 23-year-old's time in Oklahoma City, The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya broke down Sasaki's recent developments, which include an uptick in fastball speed and a bit more command of where his ball is going.
“Roki Sasaki's fastball touched 98.8 mph and got two swings and misses,” Ardaya wrote. “He's thrown 100 fastballs so far on his rehab assignment. Three have gotten a swing and miss.”
Originally brought over from Japan as part of the biggest international free agency sweepstakes since his future teammate, Shohei Ohtani, Sasaki didn't exactly hit the ground running during his initial run with the Dodgers, struggling with command against the best hitters in the business. While some wondered if his season would come to a premature end, as his initial shoulder injury lacked a clear timeline, Sasaki is now expected to return to a very different Dodgers team, one that is now operating with a six-man rotation featuring fellow youngster Emmet Sheehan.
Like Sheehan, Sasaki may still get a start or two in September as the playoffs rapidly approach, but when the rotation shrinks and the Dodgers opt to go with four or even three starting pitchers in the postseason, the rookie may find himself opporating out of the bullpen when his team takes the field this October, with a chance to show his improved command over a much shorter sample size in relief duty.
