LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Roki Sasaki's 2025 season did not go the way many had hoped.
Many fans across baseball expected the 24-year-old flamethrower to dominate on the mound with ease in his first year, but instead, and much to the Dodgers' surprise, Sasaki went through the rookie ringer.
Sasaki's first eight starts in 2025 could be classified as downright struggle and discomfort, racking up an outrageous ERA and walk ratio before Los Angeles pulled the trigger and sent the 24-year-old to the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement.
The Dodgers made the crucial decision to have Sasaki undergo a lengthy rehab process, spending the entire chunk of the season down in Triple-A for the Oklahoma City Comets, and combined that with trying to handle a new role of coming out of the bullpen.
Not only is Roki Sasaki's fastball still ticking at an average of 99-100mph, but his splitter is staying close to the mid-90s and is ACCURATE.
— Adrian Medina (@AdrianMedina_16) September 9, 2025
This is the Roki Sasaki the Dodgers signed.pic.twitter.com/LXaZL5uEDx
He showed glimpses of the Roki Sasaki the baseball world had grown to love, but the problems that were present in his short stint to begin his major league career still managed to creep their way in certain appearances.
The Dodgers were convinced that, for the time being, Sasaki would be their secret weapon coming out of the bullpen for the postseason, and activated him for the last week of the season. This unprecedented switch would prove to be the right move as Sasaki managed to close out big playoff games and eventually helped the Dodgers win back-to-back titles.
Roki Sasaki makes his first postseason appearance for the #Dodgers in the 9th inning to shut the door on the Reds and complete the Wild Card Series sweep.
— Adrian Medina (@AdrianMedina_16) October 2, 2025
Los Angeles heads to Philadelphia to face the Phillies in a star studded NLDS matchup. pic.twitter.com/yiyAnrwiMk
Now, with the calendar in the new year, Sasaki's role has been switched once again, but this time back to his old format as the Dodgers' president of baseball operations, Andrew Friedman, had told the press that Sasaki would transition back to a full-time starter for 2026.
To make matters more interesting, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Dylan Hernández of the California Post that Sasaki would have to add a third pitch to his arsenal to be successful as a full-time starter.
Roberts continued by saying that, in his opinion, it should be a pitch that moves left, likely insinuating that Sasaki should learn a new offspeed pitch.
Give or take, that could range from pitches like a full developed curveball or continue to hone in on a scarcely used slider.
Sasaki is getting every chance to be the Dodgers' fifth or sixth starter, Roberts told Hernández, and 2026 is a crucial year for Sasaki's development that will ultimately decide his role in Dodger blue.