Los Angeles Dodgers rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki (shoulder) is scheduled to throw at least one more bullpen session before being cleared to face live hitters, according to MLB.com. Sasaki initially landed on the 15-day injured list on May 13 with a right-shoulder impingement and was moved to the 60-day IL on June 20. The first-place Dodgers are not rushing the 23-year-old Japanese hurler back, and in a best-case scenario, fantasy managers may not get him back until late August or even early September. He has not pitched in a game since May 9 and threw 39 pitches in his most recent bullpen session. Once Sasaki goes on a minor-league rehab start, he's expected to need three to four appearances before he's an option to rejoin the big-league club. The Dodgers hope he can return before the end of the August, but even then, Sasaki might not be able to contribute much in fantasy the rest of the way.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (shoulder) had a bullpen session on Wednesday and is set to have another session this weekend. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sasaki could head to the team's spring training complex next week to face live hitters. He has been on the injured list with a shoulder impingement since mid-May and has topped out at 90 mph during previous recent bullpen sessions. Sasaki has only pitched in 8 games this year to the tune of a 4.72 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, and a 6.29 K:9. Based on his recent progress, Sasaki could return from the IL by late August.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki (shoulder) resumed his throwing program Friday, tossing from 60 to 90 feet as he works back from a right shoulder impingement that has sidelined him since May. The 22-year-old phenom has reportedly touched 90 mph in recent bullpen sessions, a positive sign for fantasy managers stashing him. Sasaki is expected to join a Dodgers rotation that has been hampered by injuries and inconsistent performances. Despite losing eight of their last 10 games, Los Angeles still leads the NL West by 3.5 games. Sasaki could provide a significant late-season boost for fantasy rotations as the playoffs approach.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (shoulder) has been workinghis way back from a shoulder impingement, currently in the bullpen session phase of the progression, and was throwing up to 90 mph in recent sessions. The next step will be to face live hitters, and he still appears to be on track for a returnin late August. The Dodgers' rotation needs aren't as dire as they were earlier this season when they were without Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, and Shohei Ohtani, but that can always change in an instant. Hopefully when Sasaki returns, the 23-year-old will be able to post better numbers than he was able to log during his time on the mound before the injury. The Japanese righty registered a 4.72 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, and an ugly 1.3 percent K-BB% through eight starts (34 1/3 innings pitched).

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki (shoulder) will throw his second bullpen session on Monday as he works back from a shoulder impingement. Barring any issues in his rehab, the Dodgers expect Sasaki to return in late August, according to manager Dave Roberts. Sasaki last pitched in the majors on May 9 and has since encountered some bumps in the road in his recovery. The Dodgers had to shut him down from throwing for a period, but he's now making progress. This has been a rough first year in the bigs for Sasaki, a big-ticket offseason signing from Japan. Along with his injury troubles, the 23-year-old phenom has struggled to a 4.72 ERA with almost as many walks (22) as strikeouts (24) in 34 1/3 innings.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki (shoulder) has experienced an increase in velocity while throwing from flat ground, according to Dodgers Tailgate. However, Sasaki is not ready to resume throwing from a mound. The star prospect from Japan landed on the 10-day injured list May 13 with a shoulder impingement. The Dodgers later transferred him to the 60-day IL because of a lack of progress in his rehab. They shut down Sasaki from throwing three weeks ago, but team brass noted at the time that he was pain-free. Sasaki struggled to a 4.72 ERA with 24:22 K:BB over 34 1/3 innings in his first eight major league starts. It remains unclear when he'll be ready to return and attempt to improve on those numbers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have transferred right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list. This transaction opened a spot on the roster for left-handed pitcher Zach Penrod, whom the Dodgers acquired from the Red Sox on Friday in exchange for cash considerations. Earlier in June, manager Dave Roberts noted that Sasaki was shut down from his throwing program, suggesting he still has a lengthy road of recovery ahead of him. Before his injury, Sasaki was having difficulty adjusting to the majors, posting a 4.72 ERA with a 1.49 WHIP across 34 1/3 innings of work. During this stint, he struck out just 24 batters and posted a high 14.3% walk rate. While he remains sidelined, Ben Casparius and Justin Wrobleski should remain in the mix to see spot starts.

Los Angeles Dodgers rookie starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (shoulder) has stopped his throwing program for a few days, according to manager Dave Roberts. The 23-year-old resumed throwing the baseball last week, but he isn't comfortable throwing with any intensity yet. Sasaki has been sidelined since the middle of May due to a right shoulder impingement. The expectation is that Sasaki will still need a few rehab starts before rejoining the Dodgers rotation. That being said, fantasy managers might not see Sasaki until after the All-Star break. Hopefully, Sasaki will get back to throwing by the end of the week.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (shoulder) was seen playing catch at Dodger Stadium ahead of Wednesday's matchup against the New York Mets. Sasaki continues to work his way back from a right shoulder impingement that has kept him sidelined for nearly a month. The right-hander has started a throwing program, but is still multiple weeks away from getting back on the mound. Sasaki figures to need a few rehab starts before being activated off the injured list. The hope is that Sasaki can return in late June or early July.

The Los Angeles Dodgers don't have any plans as of right now for rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki (shoulder) to have medical intervention such as a pain-killing injection for his right-shoulder impingement. Manager Dave Roberts said Sasaki will be shut down from throwing for a while. L.A. placed the 23-year-old Japanese rookie on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday, and it sounds like he'll be out beyond the required 15 days. His fastball was electric in his MLB debut back in March in Tokyo and touched triple digits, but he had not reached 99 mph with his heater since, and his shoulder impingement appears to be the primary culprit. In addition to his fastball being easier to hit at a lower velocity, Sasaki has shown poor control of his secondary pitches in his first eight big-league starts, posting a 4.72 ERA and 1.48 WHIP with just a 15.6% strikeout rate and elevated 14.% walk rate. He's a work in progress and probably won't return until June.

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Tuesday that they placed rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list with a right-shoulder impingement and recalled right-hander J.P. Feyereisen from Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move. Whether it's a phantom injury or a real one, we do know that the Japanese 23-year-old hasn't touched 99 mph with his fastball since his MLB debut in Tokyo back in late March. The Dodgers and Sasaki will now have several weeks to get to the root cause of his troubling drop in velocity, although it could definitely be due to right-shoulder fatigue in his first year in the big leagues. On top of his fastball being way too hittable because of its drop in velocity, Sasaki has walked 22 hitters in his first 34 1/3 innings for a 4.72 ERA through eight starts. He's still a work in progress. It's unclear who the Dodgers will use to fill his rotation spot moving forward.

Per Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, rookie starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (arm) experienced arm soreness following his start against the Arizona Diamondbacks last Friday. Roberts noted that the team is "sorting out" whether it will require a trip to the injured list. On the bright side, it doesn't seem to be too severe, but a trip to the IL is an unfavorable outcome regardless -- particularly when his fastball has recently dipped into the low 90s. Sasaki has struggled early on while adjusting to big-league hitting -- that, combined with the recent injury, makes him a risky proposition for the time being. Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior reported that the team is working on aspects of the right-hander's mechanics, which will hopefully clean up his dreadful 14.3% walk rate. Expect an update on him soon.

The Los Angeles Times' Jack Harris writes that Los Angeles Dodgers Japanese rookie right-hander Roki Sasak hasn't hit 99 mph on his fastball since his adrenaline-fueled debut in his MLB debut in Tokyo, Japan, to start the season and has dropped as low as 92-93 mph since then. Sasaki hit 100-plus mph on each of his first four big-league pitches and eclipsed 99 mph eight times in the first inning on March 19 against the Cubs. But in seven games since then, the 23-year-old phenom has averaged just 96 mph with his four-seamer. "It's not an ideal situation," pitching coach Mark Prior said. "Clearly, the fastball is not gonna carry through the zone at 93 very effectively." The problem is Sasaki needs premium velocity to make his fastball competitive because it doesn't have much spin or "vertical break." The Dodgers are working on mechanical fixes for Sasaki, who currently has an underwhelming 4.72 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 15.6% strikeout rate and concerning 14.3% walk rate in eight starts.

Los Angeles Dodgers rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki will make his next start on Friday on five days of rest against the division-rival Arizona Diamondbacks, according to manager Dave Roberts. The Dodgers are in a stretch of 10 games in 10 days, so Sasaki will be forced to make his first start of the year on five days of rest. In his first seven MLB starts on six days of rest between each outing, the 23-year-old Japanese hurler has gone 1-1 with a respectable 3.86 ERA (5.38 FIP) and 1.45 WHIP with 24 strikeouts and 20 walks in 30 1/3 innings pitched. He has reached five innings in each of his last four starts, but fantasy managers should be warned that Sasaki has been fortunate to have an ERA under 4.00 given his lack of command in the early going. The Dodgers will continue to monitor Sasaki's workload as the season progresses, limiting his fantasy upside in his rookie campaign.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki allowed one run across four innings of work in his start against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday afternoon. Sasaki was given a no decision. He struck out four batters and allowed three hits and two walks. Sasaki allowed two straight singles to open the contest but was able to escape the inning by allowing just one run, off an Alec Bohm RBI groundout. This was a nice bounce-back for Sasaki, as he was only able to log one 2/3 innings in his previous outing against the Detroit Tigers. In this start, he allowed three hits, four walks, and a run. The 23-year-old saw similar issues in his first start of the campaign overseas, facing the Cubs, as he allowed three hits and two walks across four innings of work. While Sasaki carries elite strikeout upside, his lack of control does add a lot of risk. He will look to continue to develop in his next start against the Cubs.

Los Angeles Dodgers rookie starting pitcher Roki Sasaki couldn't get through two full innings of work on Saturday, getting only five outs before being pulled. However, the Dodgers would still prevail 7-3 over the Tigers. Sasaki allowed two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out two batters, throwing just a hair over half of his 61 pitches for strikes. For the season, the 23-year-old has allowed three earned runs on four hits and owns an ugly 9:5 BB:K over 4 2/3 innings pitched. He'll need to clean that up, or his next start on the road in Philadelphia could be a rough one as well.

In his first career MLB start in Tokyo, Japan, against the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki picked up a no-decision by allowing one earned run on one hit while walking five and striking out three in only three innings pitched. The 23-year-old was a bit wild, and the one run he allowed came home on a bases-loaded walk in the third inning, but he was able to escape the jam by inducing two strikeouts to end the inning. Things could have been a lot worse for the young Japanese hurler in his first outing against Chicago. Sasaki's stuff is real and should play in the big leagues, but expect the Dodgers to continue to limit him early in the year from an innings perspective, which will limit his fantasy upside as a No. 2 starter. Sasaki is also going to need to show better control to be effective.

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki was officially added to the 40-man roster on Monday ahead of the team's Tokyo Series set to run March 18-19. This was expected all along, but the move was more of a formality. Baseball's No.1-ranked prospect tossed seven innings of scoreless ball in Cactus League action, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out seven batters. He's expected to start Game 2 in Japan against the Cubs, and we'll get our first chance to see him in a regular season game, but even if he pitches well, don't expect him to go deep into the contest. Looking ahead, the 23-year-old should be a solid source of wins, ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts for fantasy this season, but some caution is warranted as he very well could face workload restrictions throughout the year.

The Los Angeles Dodgers officially announced on Tuesday that Japanese rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki will start Game 2 in Tokyo, Japan, on March 19 against the Chicago Cubs. Sasaki was expected all along to start one of the games in his native Japan to kick the 2025 season off, but now it's official. The 23-year-old made just his second Cactus League appearance in the team's final spring training game on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels and looked good by giving up one hit, walking two and striking out two in four scoreless innings of work. Sasaki certainly has the stuff to succeed with the Dodgers and for fantasy managers as a No. 2 starting pitcher in his first year in the big leagues, but the Cubs won't be the greatest matchup out of the gates, and Sasaki might be lucky to go four innings. The stuff is legitimate, but workload restrictions could keep him from reaching his true potential in Year 1.