The Decision: Roki Sasaki's next step

LOS ANGELES – As the regular season winds down and the postseason draws near, the Los Angeles Dodgers are facing a pivotal decision: What role will Roki Sasaki play in October? And just as importantly, will they even have him on the playoff roster?

Sasaki, the 23-year-old Japanese phenom who’s been recovering from injury, has made a couple of starts for OKC. On Tuesday night, Sasaki’s fastball was reaching 98.3 MPH, a reminder of the electric stuff that made him one of the most coveted young pitchers in baseball when he first signed with the Dodgers.

But while his velocity was impressive, the questions surrounding his role have only intensified.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was quick to praise Sasaki’s performance in Oklahoma City, calling it "fantastic" and adding that the young pitcher would soon be "part of the conversation." But what does that really mean? In the context of a playoff-bound team with one of the deepest pitching staffs in baseball, that conversation might be more about “where” Sasaki fits, rather than “if” he fits.

And right now, that conversation is focused on one central question: Should Sasaki be a starter, or would he be more effective coming out of the bullpen in the postseason?

There’s no question that Sasaki’s best role is as a starter. His stuff is built for it—his fastball, slider, and splitter have all the makings of a top-tier rotation weapon. His ceiling, when healthy, is as high as any young pitcher in the league, and the Dodgers have viewed him as part of the plan. But what if the team doesn’t have the luxury of waiting for him to prove he’s ready to handle a playoff start?

Sasaki has barely pitched in the majors, with just eight starts under his belt, the last of which came in early May. Sasaki's (1-1, 4.72 ERA) rehab stint has been sporadic, and while his AAA numbers are encouraging, there’s no telling how he’ll respond in high-leverage, playoff-like situations. The Dodgers are nothing if not pragmatic. While the idea of a fresh, fireballing rookie starter in the postseason is tantalizing, it’s not a risk the front office will take lightly.

That’s why, after Tuesday night’s game, Roberts and his front office team—General Manager Brandon Gomes and President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman—are preparing to sit down and weigh their options. With only two weeks remaining in the regular season, they’ll need to make some tough calls about Sasaki’s role and his readiness for the postseason spotlight.

One option, of course, is to ease Sasaki into the bullpen, where his high-octane fastball could be a game-changing weapon in high-leverage situations. Think about it: a 98 MPH heater with a nasty splitter in the seventh or eighth inning of a playoff game, coming in to shut down the heart of the opposing lineup.

The bullpen, especially in October, can be a place where young pitchers with electric stuff can make an immediate impact. With the Dodgers’ bullpen already a strength, adding Sasaki’s velocity to that mix could be a huge advantage—one that might help the team navigate tight games as they chase back-to-back World Series titles.

However, Roberts is aware of the risks associated with that route. Sasaki has always been a starter, and his best future with the Dodgers is as a cornerstone of their rotation. Moving him to the bullpen would be a shift not only in role, but in mentality. Would Sasaki be willing to accept it? Would he thrive in a situation that demands less control and more pure, raw power?

For Sasaki, the ideal situation would be to return to his starting role. He has the stuff to dominate from the first pitch, and there’s something undeniably appealing about having a weapon like him in the rotation during a playoff series. Imagine a Game 2 starter in a playoff series, coming in with a fresh arm, electric stuff, and the ability to shut down an opposing lineup in the middle innings.

But here’s where the uncertainty lies. The Dodgers have a stacked rotation. Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Emmet Sheehan, and Shohei Ohtani are all in the mix for those coveted playoff starts, and the team isn’t exactly in the business of taking risks with their pitching staff when the postseason is on the line. Would Sasaki be able to handle the stress of a big postseason start, or would the moment be too much for him, considering his lack of major-league experience?

Roberts has left the door open for Sasaki to be a starter, but he’s also acknowledged that “we’d need to see him in some big-league games first.” That means time is running out for Sasaki to prove he can handle that role.