Los Angeles Dodgers rookie right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki has reported some arm soreness, manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Tuesday ahead of the team’s series opener against the Athletics.
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This team is figuring out whether the arm soreness will require a stint on the injured list.
Sasaki, 23, has made just eight starts for the Dodgers this season. The former Nippon Professional Baseball star was one of the most highly sought after free agents in Major League Baseball history due to his age, talent and affordable cost — as an international free agent under 25 years old, he was only eligible to sign with a team on a minor league deal with a signing bonus of international bonus pool money.
Sasaki chose the Dodgers for a variety of reasons, one of them being the fact that he felt they could help him develop better than any other organization. They also aced the “homework assignment” he gave to teams, asking why his velocity was down and what he could do to fix it.
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Sasaki’s velocity has been a major point of conversation for the Dodgers this season. His fastball, which reached triple digits during his time in the NPB, has averaged just 96 mph this season, and has been as low as 92-93 mph at times.
“It’s not an ideal situation,” pitching coach Mark Prior said to the LA Times. “Clearly, the fastball is not gonna carry through the zone at 93 very effectively.”
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Neither Sasaki nor the Dodgers had an answer for the drop in velocity. They did say it wasn’t intentional as a way to have better command.
“Just really still in this process of finding out what the root cause [is],” Sasaki said through interpreter Will Ireton this weekend after a rough start in which he didn’t generate a strikeout over four innings of work against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“[I’m] working with my coaches, talking to people about this … I’m not quite exactly sure and can’t really state exactly the single reason.”
On the year, Sasaki has gone 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA. He has just 24 strikeouts over 34.1 innings, allowing 18 earned runs and 22 walks.
If he’s placed on the IL, he would add to a growing list of Dodgers currently on the shelf.
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