Dave Roberts' Latest Comments on Roki Sasaki Spell Good News for Dodgers Pitcher

The 2026 season has been a bit of a struggle for Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki. After a shaky performance during spring training, the results from the first month-plus of the regular season have left much to be desired.

Sasaki has struggled with consistency, and manager Dave Roberts has been honest about not really knowing what to expect from him when he takes the mound. However, the young right-hander has started to look a little better over his last few outings, even if the overall numbers haven't fully reflected this.

Roberts, who's continued to be positive when speaking about the young right-hander all year, has liked what he's seen from Sasaki as of late, and recently gave him some praise.

“I will say I think that Roki, the last four [starts], each outing has gotten better in certain areas,” Roberts said. “I think that the last one was the best of the last four or five. We do expect him to continue to get better in the process, the execution, and then just kind of go from there.”

In his last start, Sasaki went six innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing three runs and five hits while striking out four batters. This was his longest outing of the season, and it seems that the Dodgers continue to be encouraged by his performances.

But the team is going to need Sasaki to keep improving on the mound; otherwise, the organization may be forced to make some some difficult decisions. There have already been some around baseball that have urged the team to send the right-hander to the minor leagues.

Sasaki said that he would welcome a move to the minors if that is what the team felt was best for him. But of course, he would much rather stay up with the big league club to figure everything out.

With Tyler Glasnow going on the injured list, Sasaki has at least two more weeks to stake his case. Based on Roberts' comments, the Dodgers don't seem to even be considering sending Sasaki down — and that's great news for him as he continues to develop.

Overall, Sasaki has made six starts for the Dodgers this season, putting up an ERA of 5.97. After a breakout performance in the postseason last year, the team was hoping for better results on the mound from the right-hander.

Los Angeles has put a ton of faith into Sasaki to figure it out on the mound, and while he has been working at it, his progression isn't coming as fast as many expected.

With that being said, the Dodgers knew Sasaki was a work in progress when they got him, and seem content to let him figure things out at the major league level. The organization feels that going through these issues now will only make him better as he continues to develop as a major league pitcher.

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