Dodgers GM Makes Bold Roki Sasaki Prediction

General manager Brandon Gomes believes pitcher Roki Sasaki only scratched the surface of his potential in his first eight starts as a Dodger.

Sasaki, who's been sidelined by right shoulder impingement since May 9, is expected to return at some point later this year. When he does, the Dodgers are hoping he'll perform better than his current 1-1 record and 4.72 ERA indicate.

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“He’s feeling better now, working back toward getting into a long toss program," Gomes said Sunday on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM. "We feel like what he was featuring isn’t anything close to what he’s actually capable of. We feel there’s a lot of upside left in there.

"Maybe this short break will be good for just an adjustment period, get him into a good routine.”

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Sasaki, 23, struck out 24 batters in 34.1 innings before landing on the 15-day injured list. He gave up five runs in four innings in his last start, and did not strike out a batter in the Dodgers' 14-11 win over the Diamondbacks.

One reason for Gomes' confidence is Sasaki's sterling track record in Japan, which led to a frenzied posting period involving nearly every MLB team over the winter. Sasaki had a 1.78 ERA as a 21-year-old with the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2023. That number rose to 2.35 last season, but his health was a complicating factor.

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That's perhaps the primary reason for Gomes' bold assertion: The Dodgers know Sasaki wasn't pitching at 100 percent.

"He got to the point where he spoke up, and we're glad he did, because I think it's something that we needed to address."

Mark Prior gave some insight into what’s going on with Roki Sasaki’s shoulder. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/MiQiocs9Jp
— Dodgers Territory (@LADTerritory) May 22, 2025

"Clearly, he was bothered by it last year at times in Japan, and it's kinda reared its head again a little bit," Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior said last week on Dodgers Territory. "I think you kinda have two different paths going on here. You have a development path overlayed with him trying to perform at the Major League level, and those things aren't easy. We see it a lot of times with guys coming up from Triple-A and the minor leagues, and they're trying to continue their development at the big league level, and that's extremely hard, and sometimes it gets messy.

"But I do think the shoulder thing has something to do with it," Prior continued. "Clearly the velocity continued to trend down. And finally he got to the point where he spoke up and we’re glad he did, because I think it’s something we needed to address, his overall shoulder conditioning and strength.”

Expect the Dodgers to treat Sasaki's rehabilitation program with caution, even as their starters have struggled to a collective 4.20 ERA — 22nd in Major League Baseball through Thursday.

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