Andrew Friedman Sends Message to Dodgers Fans on Roki Sasaki Development Plan

The Dodgers are being patient with Roki Sasaki — here's why.

May 11, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers are being patient with Roki Sasaki.

Sasaki is carrying a 5.88 ERA with 31 strikeouts across 33.2 innings (seven starts) this season. It's by no means a stellar stat line for a player that was heavily pursued by most of MLB when he was first posted by his Nippon Professional Baseball team ahead of the 2025 season.

Sasaki was considered one of the best young pitchers in the world and has shown flashes of brilliance early in his MLB career. But there have also been growing pains. A lot of them.

In his inaugural season with the Dodgers, Sasaki posted a 4.46 ERA across 36.1 innings. However, after he landed on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement and returned to the Dodgers in a bullpen role, Sasaki looked like the elite arm he was promoted as.

His October heroics played a key role for a struggling Dodgers bullpen that lacked a closer. Sasaki filled the role seamlessly posting a 0.84 ERA across 10.2 postseason innings.

The 2026 season saw the Japanese star return to the rotation, but it hasn't been an easy transition back. Typically, a young pitcher who is struggling in a rotation full of Cy Young winners and All-Stars would get demoted to Triple-A. But Sasaki isn't just any second-year pitcher.

President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman provided a rare peek behind the curtain into the team's development plan with Sasaki, sending a message to the fans that are frustrated with his struggles.

“I 100 percent appreciate and get that right now, fans don’t care at all about three years from now or five years from now,” Friedman said. “But when we get there, they definitely will. So it’s incumbent upon us to do everything we can to maximize the now, while also doing everything we can to put ourselves in the best position in the future, as well.”

The Dodgers are back-to-back champions and in the midst of a golden era of baseball for the organization, but Friedman is also responsible for considering the future. The dynasty can't continue if young stars like Sasaki aren't properly developed, even if that means some rough regular season performances.

The Dodgers won 111 regular season games in 2022, and what did they have to show for it? LA lost in four games to the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series. While the regular season is important for building good habits, the Dodgers have shown there is a monumental difference between what transpires during the regular season and the postseason.

Sasaki, himself, is a prime example of the contrast between the regular season and playoffs. In 2025, the Japanese fireballer couldn't find success in the starting rotation. He transitioned to the bullpen for the month of October and emerged as the Dodgers' best reliever in the postseason.

Fans shouldn't forget the 0.84 ERA Sasaki sported in October. The right-hander was highly-touted for a reason, and patience is necessary as the 24-year-old continues to develop.

That development, however, won't be coming in the minor leagues or the bullpen. The Dodgers want Sasaki to learn and grow as a starter at the MLB level. They believe that is the only way he'll become the pitcher they expect he can be.

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