LOS ANGELES -- After months of a relatively slow ramp-up, Roki Sasaki is starting to see some real progress in his rehab from a right shoulder impingement.
Sasaki, who has been on the injured list since May 13 and was transferred to the 60-day IL on June 20, has now faced hitters a couple of times. Following a bullpen session on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, the right-hander reported that he’s “pain free.”
“I feel pretty good,” Sasaki said through interpreter Will Ireton. “Right now, I’m just working on the mechanical part of the game.”
The next move for Sasaki is to throw three simulated innings on Friday at Dodger Stadium. If all goes well, he should be set to begin a rehab assignment, which will get the countdown clock ticking toward his activation.
“From what I understand right now, we're going to try to get him up to five or six innings and go from there,” said manager Dave Roberts.
It’s uncertain how Sasaki will slot in when he’s eventually back, perhaps sometime in the next month.
With the recent return of Blake Snell, the Dodgers have six active starting pitchers, including swingman Emmet Sheehan, who got the ball Tuesday against the Cardinals. Sheehan should get at least one more turn in the rotation, after which the situation remains fluid, with Sasaki’s eventual reinstatement another factor for L.A. to consider.
Asked whether there’s any chance Sasaki could return in a long relief role, Roberts emphasized that the club sees Sasaki as a starter. But Sasaki knows not to take anything for granted.
“My every intention is to get back on a Major League mound and pitch again,” said Sasaki. “With that being said, I do need to fight for the opportunity. I don't think that I'll just be given the opportunity right away. So this month is going to be important for me, since I'll be facing hitters throughout.”
The Dodgers’ biggest splash of the offseason, Sasaki had yet to see his massive success in Japan’s NPB translate over to MLB. In eight starts, the 23-year-old had a 4.72 ERA with a 1.49 WHIP and nearly as many walks (22) and strikeouts (24).
Sasaki admitted that there have been growing pains in his transition to playing stateside, and he hopes that being in a better spot physically will allow him to regain some of the velocity he’d been missing.
“American hitters have different approaches at the plate compared to Japanese hitters, so now I can't really attack the same way that I used to in Japan,” said Sasaki. “And also at the same time, they have different strengths and weaknesses. So [I’m trying to be] able to have more variety in the way I attack the hitters.”
One of those adjustments includes working a two-seam fastball into his arsenal, which had consisted of a four-seamer, a splitter and a slider. Roberts described that as the result of conversations with pitching coaches, as well as inspiration from watching teammate and countryman Shohei Ohtani work in three types of fastballs.
“To have two separate fastballs, one that potentially could miss a bat, one that could put a ball on the ground, those are two good weapons,” said Roberts.
Above all, Sasaki and the Dodgers are optimistic that this time off has given him a chance to reset both physically and mentally and that the adversity he has endured will provide him with valuable lessons about how to be a better ballplayer.
“I'm expecting to see pounding of the strike zone, conviction behind the throws, and just a better performer,” said Roberts, “just learning from the first month of this season.”