Roki Sasaki was supposed to be a major piece of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ rotation heading into 2026.
Instead, his spring training performance has quickly turned into one of the team’s biggest early concerns. That is now raising a serious question about his role moving forward.
Sasaki’s latest outing against the Los Angeles Angels only added to that concern. On Monday night, the 24-year-old lasted just over two innings, allowing five earned runs while issuing six walks. He threw 66 pitches, but only 32 landed for strikes, continuing a troubling trend of command issues that have followed him throughout the spring.
Across four exhibition appearances, Sasaki now holds a 15.58 ERA with 15 walks in just 8 2/3 innings. Even more alarming, he has repeatedly struggled to get through innings cleanly, including a first inning against the Angels where he failed to record an out while walking in runs with the bases loaded.
Sasaki’s Command Issues Creating Early Concern
Sasaki’s inability to consistently locate has been the defining story of his spring. The walks, hit batters, and elevated pitch counts have prevented him from settling into any rhythm.
2 IP 0 H 5 R (5 ER) 2 K 6 BB
66 pitches || 32 strikes
Should Roki remain a starter or be a bulk innings reliever?
This is not entirely new.
Early in 2025, Sasaki also struggled before a shoulder impingement sidelined him for much of the season.
Before his injury last season, Roki Sasaki struggled in his initial transition to the Major Leagues with the Dodgers, posting a 4.72 ERA across his first eight starts.
But what followed is what makes this current situation so intriguing.
When Sasaki returned late last year, the Dodgers simplified his role by moving him to the bullpen. From that point on, he became a postseason hero and one of the biggest reasons the Dodgers won the World Series.
Sasaki’s Bullpen Success Complicates Dodgers’ Decision
In a shorter, high-leverage role, Sasaki looked like a completely different pitcher. His velocity jumped into the upper-90s, his command sharpened, and he became one of the Dodgers’ most trusted arms during their postseason run.
He allowed just one earned run across 10 2/3 innings and recorded three saves, emerging as a key late-game weapon on the way to a World Series title.
That version of Sasaki looked dominant, efficient, confident and, at times, unhittable.
But right now, it looks very far away.
Despite those results, manager Dave Roberts has made it clear the organization wants Sasaki to develop as a starter. The organization believes the upside of a front-line rotation arm is simply too valuable to ignore.
But the gap between that vision and what he has shown this spring is becoming harder to overlook.
With Opening Day approaching and Yoshinobu Yamamoto set to take the ball, the Dodgers still have time. Spring training results are not everything, and Sasaki’s talent is undeniable.
Still, the question is now unavoidable.
If the command issues continue into the regular season, how long can the Dodgers justify keeping Sasaki in the rotation especially when they already know exactly how dominant he can be coming out of the bullpen?
Could a potential move back to a high-leverage relief role start to loom later in the season?
And beyond that, an even bigger question lingers: is Sasaki actually better off in the long run embracing that bullpen role where he has already proven he can thrive at the highest level?
Thu: Yoshinobu Yamamoto Fri: Emmet Sheehan Sat: Tyler Glasnow Mon: Roki Sasaki Tue: Shohei Ohtani
Despite the lingering questions, Dave Roberts announced that Sasaki’s first regular season start will come next Monday night against the Cleveland Guardians.
Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki Spring Training Struggles Pose Major Question