Roki Sasaki, New Los Angeles Dodgers Ace, Was Once Advised to Get Tommy John Surgery

While pitching in Japan, Roki Sasaki was once advised to get Tommy John surgery. Though he never got the surgery, his health continues to be something worth monitoring, considering he just signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) is photographed by media during an introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

New Los Angeles Dodgers ace Roki Sasaki made an interesting revelation at his introductory press conference last week: He was once advised by doctors to get Tommy John surgery. This happened when he was 18.

Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times writes that that experience helped spur his decision to come to the United States earlier than he could have.

At one point, Sasaki was advised by a doctor to undergo Tommy John surgery.

Sasaki never had the operation, but the incident shaped his thinking. Years later, he found himself thinking about how he didn’t want to risk suffering a career-altering injury before pitching in the world’s most competitive league.

“You hear many voices that say I should have waited two more years [to come to the United States], but there are of course no guarantees about my condition in those two years,” Sasaki said in Japanese.

When Roki Sasaki was an 18-year-old rookie with the Chiba Lotte Marines, he was advised to undergo Tommy John surgery.

Sasaki never had the operation but the incident explains why he insisted on moving to the major leagues this winter. https://t.co/loUsITCqcs

— Dylan Hernández (@dylanohernandez) January 23, 2025

By coming over at the age of 23, Sasaki was limited to being signed by international bonus pool money. His total contract with the Dodgers is less than $7 million. If he had waited until the age of 25, there would have been no restrictions, such as was the case for Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason. Yamamoto signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers.

Sasaki found that a shoulder issue was responsible for his elbow problems, but his health will be something to watch in 2025 for the Dodgers. He's never thrown more than 129.1 innings in Japan.

The Dodgers have one of the most stacked rotations we've ever seen, complete with Sasaki, Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Tony Gonsolin. There's also the chance that LA brings back Clayton Kershaw, and there are several other young names like Bobby Miller still on the 40-man roster.

Los Angeles will likely use a six-man rotation to accommodate Sasaki at some point, though those plans are unclear right now.

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