Roki Sasaki Reveals Big Step Toward Remaining in Dodgers' Starting Rotation

Oct 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki (11) warms up before game five of the 2025 MLB World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

LOS ANGELES — Roki Sasaki finished the 2025 season by playing a prominent role out of the bullpen for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he's primed for a return to their starting rotation.

It's the role the Dodgers envisioned for Sasaki when he chose to sign with them as an amateur international free agent. He explained the decision partly stemmed from the Dodgers outlining how they would help the right-hander recapture his fastball velocity and continue developing as a pitcher.

As a starter last year, Sasaki went 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in eight games before landing on the 15-day injured list. He missed more than four moths before getting activated off the 60-day IL during the final week of the regular season.

That was to audition for a potential role out of the bullpen in the playoffs, which Sasaki aced.

"The end results were good, but I realized there were a lot of things I have to work on," Sasaki said through interpreter Will Ireton during his appearance at DodgerFest. "So I felt like I was able to work on those through the offseason."

Roki Sasaki's new pitches

With Sasaki returning to a starter role, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shared his belief that developing a third pitch would be necessary in order to succeed.

That message has resonated with Sasaki, who is working on developing a cutter and two-seam fastball.

"I started throwing a cutter and two-seam, so I'm going to practice those in Spring Training," he said through an interpreter.

Sasaki primarily relied on a four-seam fastball (50% usage) and forkball/splitter (33%) while occasionally incorporating a slider (16%) last year. He additionally threw just two sinkers.

Sasaki threw a total of 101 sliders over 14 plate appearances. He gave up three hits and walked two batters on the pitch, amounting to a .774 on-base plus slugging percentage and 127 wRC+.

In order to become a full-fledge starter, Sasaki at minimum would need a third pitch as it's essential to navigating a lineup more than twice in a game. He completed a minimum of five innings in four starts and never faced more than 24 batters.

There also is the reality of Sasaki's fastball needing to become a more quality pitch as well. Plenty of focus has been given to velocity averages, but the shape and characteristics of the pitch often left room for improvement.