Roki Sasaki is back in the Dodgers’ bullpen with October close enough to hear the gates rattling. Activated from the 15-day injured list before Tuesday night’s opener against the Padres, the 24-year-old right-hander returns as a potential multi-inning weapon—and, if the final week goes his way, a candidate for the late outs.
Los Angeles made room in a busy round of moves, also reinstating outfielder Andy Pages while sending right-hander Emmet Sheehan and catcher Eliezer Alfonzo to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Sasaki had been sidelined since Aug. 26, when a blister on his right middle finger cut short his start against Atlanta.
Quick facts
- Sasaki was activated from the 15-day injured list before Tuesday’s game against San Diego.
- He is available for relief work of more than one inning and could make additional appearances over the final five regular-season games.
- Before the blister, he posted a 2.63 ERA across seven starts during his strongest stretch of the season.
- Tanner Scott leads the Dodgers with 23 saves but has four blown saves, including two in September.
- Edgardo Henriquez is out for the remainder of the regular season with a lower back strain, though the club expects him to return for the playoffs.
Sasaki’s season in the rotation had begun to find its shape before the finger issue intervened. He is 5-5 with a 4.60 ERA in 23 starts, but his recent work was sharper: increased fastball velocity, a broader repertoire and a new splitter helped him turn in seven starts with a 2.63 ERA.
“We’re excited to have Roki back,” manager Dave Roberts said, adding that Sasaki is eager for the assignment and can make a meaningful impact, much as he did a year ago.
The bullpen is familiar territory, even if it has been a while. Sasaki moved there during last season’s championship run after an uneven start to his rookie year and a shoulder injury that kept him out for more than four months. What started as a route back onto the active roster became something much larger.
He handled the postseason closer’s job and surrendered only one earned run over 10 2/3 innings, good for a 0.84 ERA. That performance gave him a jolt of confidence heading into this year, helping set up the midseason progress he made as a starter.
Now the Dodgers have another decision to make in a bullpen without a settled ninth-inning owner. Edwin Díaz has been used in lower-leverage spots while trying to regain form after elbow and neck injuries, leaving Scott to absorb most of the save chances.
Scott remains the club’s leading closer option, but the left-hander’s September bumps have kept the door open. A healthy, effective Sasaki would give Roberts a power right-handed alternative, especially with Henriquez unavailable until at least the postseason.
Roberts said Sasaki’s work Tuesday would help determine whether save situations become part of the conversation. He expected the right-hander to get one or two more abbreviated outings before the regular season ends.
The manager also made clear that October may not call for a traditional closer. A seventh- or eighth-inning pocket can carry the game’s biggest threat, and Roberts does not intend to save his best arm merely because the ninth has not arrived.
“If Tanner has a high-leverage spot in the seventh or eighth, it can be hard to turn away from that if he’s the right choice,” Roberts said. “You can’t always predict what the ninth will look like.”
For Sasaki, the immediate assignment is simple: get back on the mound, show the blister is behind him and remind the Dodgers what he looked like when the lights were brightest last fall. The rest of the bullpen picture may follow from there.
