Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki reacts to latest rough spring training outing

Roki Sasaki’s struggles last season was one of the biggest stories of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2025 regular season. Coming over from Japan, Sasaki was billed to be one of the best pitchers that Japan has produced in recent memory. Unfortunately for them, the Japanese right-hander struggled heavily as a starter for Los Angeles.

Sasaki found a role in the Dodgers’ postseason run as a reliever. It worked perfectly for Los Angeles, as their usual bullpen arms struggled in the playoffs. However, manager Dave Roberts insisted that Sasaki would not remain in the bullpen in the 2026 season.

This early in Spring Training, Sasaki is struggling once again. The Dodgers pitcher has been getting hit a lot in his starts. Against the Kansas City Royals today, the Japanese pitcher struggled once again. He pitched 3.1 innings, getting hit four times, walking four batters, and allowing three runs. After the game, Sasaki said that he was working on a sinker during the game, which was the reason for his struggles.

Sasaki also isn’t too worried about his struggles in Spring Training. “There’s a lot of things I need to work on … But the result in ST doesn’t really matter,” the Dodgers pitcher said, per Jack Harris.

Prior to the Royals game, Sasaki had a 18.9 ERA through 3.1 innings pitched in two games. His previous game against the Cleveland Guardians was brutal: allowing four runs in two innings while allowing two hits, three walks, and one home run. After the Dodgers right-hander’s struggles last season, there’s definitely cause for concern regarding the Japanese pitcher.

Despite all of these problems, the Dodgers still view Sasaki as a full-time starter instead of a bullpen arm. After the Guardians game, Roberts said that the Japanese pitcher will be a starter until further notice.

“I think it can change, but I don’t think it’s going to change before we break (camp),” Roberts said, per The Athletic. “I think that, keep building him up. We see him as a starter and giving him every opportunity for success.”

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