Dodgers' Roki Sasaki Addresses Potential Demotion to Minor Leagues

The 2026 season hasn't been the kindest to Los Angeles Dodgers young right-hander Roki Sasaki, despite his success in the playoffs last year.

Sasaki became a dominant weapon out of the bullpen for Los Angeles in the postseason a year ago, but he was moved back to the starting rotation in 2026.

So far, Sasaki has struggled to maintain any form of consistency on the mound, and it has now gotten to the point where some believe he should be moved to the minor leagues. To this point, the Dodgers have been very hesitant to make this move, with manager Dave Roberts saying that it wasn't even an option.

But with ace Blake Snell coming back to the rotation in the next couple of weeks, Los Angeles is going to have to make a move in the rotation. And between Sasaki, right-hander Emmet Sheehan and lefty Justin Wrobleski, there is a clear answer for the Dodgers.

Some have believed that Sasaki wouldn't accept a trip down to the minor leagues, but the right-hander has now said he would do what is best for the team, according to the California Post.

"For what it’s worth, Sasaki has said he would accept a minor-league assignment if the Dodgers think that’s in his best interest," Dylan Hernandez of the California Post wrote.

Sasaki also reflected on his year so far and what a trip down would mean for him.

“Someone coming in means someone will have to go out, of course. But I have to focus on my own performances, and the importance of throwing the ball well doesn’t change regardless of the situation," Sasaki stated.

No player wants to be sent down to the minors, but this could be the move that ends up helping Sasaki the most. His struggles from spring training seem to not be an outlier, as his outings have been extremely inconsistent each time out.

Overall, the right-hander has posted an ERA of 5.97 over six starts for Los Angeles this year. While the Dodgers do view him as a starting pitcher long-term, it may benefit Sasaki right now to be sent to the minors to fine-tune his skills.

Last season, Sasaki struggled in the regular season before he missed a large portion of time due to an injury. In his eight starts before the injury, Sasaki put up an ERA of 4.72 across 34.1 innings.

After being moved to the bullpen, Sasaki became much more effective for the Dodgers. He pitched two scoreless innings in the regular season. Then, in the postseason, he put up an ERA of 0.84 over 10.2 innings, recording three saves.

The Dodgers have been adamant that Sasaki isn't going anywhere amid his struggles. However, the fact that he would be open to the move could potentially change things.

The Dodgers likely have less than two weeks to make that deecision with Snell expected to make one more rehab start on Saturday before returning to the next late next week.

Add us as a preferred source on Google