Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirms setback in Roki Sasaki’s recovery from injury

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently provided with a major update on the status of Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki after he shelved. On Mya 13, 2025, Roki Sasaki saw his name on the 15-day injured list for the Los Angeles Dodgers as he was suffering from a right shoulder impingement.

What did Dave Roberts say about Roki Sasaki's return?

Before suffering his latest injury, Sasaki won his first MLB game for LA Dodgers on May 3 against Atlanta Braves. It took him seven matches to achieve his first win for the franchise. He currently holds a 1-1 record with a 4.72 ERA and 24 strikeouts across 34 and 1/3 innings.

I just don't know when the timeline is, but it's going to be some time if you're shutting down the throwing, building up, and then kind of ramping back up as a starter, Roberts said. It's a patience play, but also a prudent play to kind of appreciate the short-term and long-term health of Roki, he added.

Not just this, Roberts even gave an insight about the progress of Sasaki in an interview with ESPN LA radio. He even cleared out that Roki Sasaki is out due to a right shoulder impingement and nothing else.

I think it is what it is. That was a diagnosis through the MRI and also the symptoms that he was reporting. So, basically a shutdown of throwing [was need] to calm [the injury] down and then building up the strength and then stabilizing the shoulder.

Roki Sasaki was acclaimed to be the next big thing in Japanese baseball, but the 23-year-old is yet to find his stride playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Roki Sasaki has a history of injuries

Known as the 'Monster of the Reiwa Era' back in Japan, Roki Sasaki has been spectacular from a young age. He has even broken the Japanese high school record for a 101 mile hour fastball. The previous record was set by his teammate Shohei Ohtani, who Sasaki superceded.

But, Sasaki has seen his share of injuries early on in his career. When he was selected during the 2019 NPB draft, the Chiba Lotte Marines made a decision to make him skip the 2020 season in order to preserve his arm.

In July 2023, Sasaki suffered an oblique tear which saw him miss action for almost two months. However, Sasaki made an early return in September which further raised some eyebrows that he was rushed back into action. During his final year at Chiba Lotte in 2024, Sasaki once again suffered the same shoulder impingement that limited him to just 111 innings pitched.