Dodgers Rookie Roki Sasaki Placed on IL with Shoulder Injury

The Los Angeles Dodgers placed rookie pitcher Roki Sasaki on the injured list Tuesday due to a right shoulder impingement, marking another setback for a rotation already riddled with injuries.

Sasaki, a 23-year-old from Japan, has shown flashes of promise in his first MLB season, posting a 1-1 record with a 4.72 ERA over eight starts. In 34⅓ innings, he’s recorded 24 strikeouts and held opposing hitters to a .225 batting average.

In his most recent start, Sasaki pitched on five days' rest for the first time in his MLB career. He allowed five earned runs in only four innings. Postgame Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts also mentioned that his ailment was the reason Sasaki's velocity had been declining since the start of the season.

After signing with the Dodgers in January following a standout four-year stint with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League, Sasaki was expected to be a major contributor to a deep Dodgers staff. Instead, he joins Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow on the injured list. However, there is some relief on the horizon: veteran Clayton Kershaw is set to make his season debut this Saturday after recovering from offseason surgery.

The Dodgers will now look to patch together innings as they navigate another wave of rotation injuries early in the season.

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