Dodgers Place Pitcher Roki Sasaki on IL With Shoulder Impingement

The rookie pitcher is the third Dodgers ace to land on the IL to start the season.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki throws a pitch. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Dodgers rookie pitcher Roki Sasaki was placed on the 15-day injured list as he deals with right shoulder impingement.

In turn, the Dodgers called up right-handed reliever J.P. Feyereisen from Triple A.

Sasaki last started on Friday, May 9, where he pitched four innings and recorded zero strikeouts for the first time in his rookie season. Arizona Diamondbacks players hit two home runs and five hits off of him during his appearance. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed that Sasaki felt soreness in his right arm after that game. He ended up not throwing at his bullpen session on Tuesday.

"Physically, he was a little bit sore afterwards, and that's something that we're still kind of trying to figure out,” Roberts said, via MLB.com. “You know, what's normal, what's kind of not normal. ... We want to make sure that he's in a good spot, physically and mentally."

Sasaki has posted a 4.72 ERA in eight starts for the Dodgers over 34 1/3 innings. The Japanese star pitcher hasn't necessarily lived up to the high expectations surrounding him thus far.

Sasaki is the third Dodgers pitcher to land on the IR for shoulder concerns after Blake Snell, who's been out since April 2, and Tyler Glasnow, who's been out since April 28, are both on the list right now.

The Dodgers will get Clayton Kershaw back on their roster on Saturday, though, as the three-time Cy Young Award winner will return after missing most of the 2024 season due to left knee and left toe injuries.

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