Roki Sasaki Willing to Accept Minor League Assignment if Dodgers Ask
The Los Angeles Dodgers will welcome back Blake Snell soon , and the big question is which starting pitcher will be moved to make room for him.
The obvious answers are either Emmet Sheehan or Roki Sasaki , but to this point in his career, the Dodgers have been reticent to send Sasaki to the minors.
As Dylan Hernandez of the California Post reports , though, “Sasaki has said he would accept a minor-league assignment if the Dodgers think that’s in his best interest.”
“Someone coming in means someone will have to go out, of course,” Sasaki said Sunday. “But I have to focus on my own performances, and the importance of throwing the ball well doesn’t change regardless of the situation.”
How has Roki Sasaki played in 2026?
Sasaki has largely struggled this year.
He has a 1-3 record, an ERA of 5.97, WHIP of 1.674 and 26 strikeouts.
Per Baseball Savant, he’s excellent when it comes to his average fastball velocity of 96.9 mph — good for the top 13% of pitchers — but elsewhere, the numbers get grim.
For pitching run value and fastball run value, he’s worse than 97% of MLB pitchers.
His 5.97 ERA is a bit worse than his expected ERA, but not by much, as it’s at 5.76.
That’s worse than 86% of pitchers.
As Hernandez explains, Sasaki relies heavily on his fastball, and “he should look to rediscover” the pitch.
“Considering how little progress he’s made in that department this season, he might as well move to a lower-stakes environment in which concerns over wins and losses won’t force him to work on another pitch between starts,” Hernandez said.
There is hope yet for Roki Sasaki
Sasaki, though, still has room to grow. He’s only 24 years old, and Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain thinks his potential could be enough to keep him in the starting rotation and possibly force out Emmet Sheehan instead.
“I think Roki still has some more upside there,” McKain said.
The question is how long that potential will be enough to placate calls for change regarding Sasaki’s role.
Do you think Roki Sasaki should spend some time in the minors?
