Will Roki Sasaki again be the Dodgers’ closer in the playoffs?
The Dodgers have created a pathway to make that possible, as manager Dave Roberts said that Sasaki will be moved into the bullpen when he is activated from the injured list this week.
Sasaki has pitched in 23 games this season, every one of them starts. A blister on his pitching hand has sidelined him since Aug. 27, but Roberts said he expected him to be activated during an upcoming three-game series against the Padres that starts on Tuesday.
The Dodgers had refrained from turning Sasaki into a reliever up to this point because of concerns over their starting rotation. Blake Snell departed from his most recent start after one inning because of a tight groin, but the two-time Cy Young Award winner has since not experienced any problems in that area.
The team believes it has four healthy starters in Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal and Tyler Glasnow. Emmet Sheehan figures to be the rotation’s new insurance policy, as Sheehan has allowed only one run in 17 innings pitched this month.
Roberts said he doesn’t plan to use Sasaki as a quasi-starter who pitches four or five innings following an opener.
Asked if Sasaki would be used in late-inning, high-leverage situations, Roberts replied, “I trust Roki in any situation. I would say probably start a clean inning, but, yeah.”
Could he close?
“It won’t be the ninth inning the first time,” Roberts said.
But Roberts acknowledged there was a chance Sasaki could end up in that role.
Sasaki became the Dodgers’ closer last year by default, as the team didn’t have any other options. He saved three games in the postseason.
His move to the bullpen last year came after he missed 4 ½ months because of shoulder problems. He agreed to try pitching in relief under the condition the Dodgers let him start again the next season.
Sasaki is 5-5 with a 4.70 earned-run average this year, but was 2-0 with a 3.05 ERA in the seven starts he made after the All-Star break.
The Dodgers started this season counting on $69-million free agent addition Edwin Diaz to be their closer, but the three-time All-Star has endured a nightmare of a season that has included two IL stints. In Diaz’s absence, Tanner Scott has served as the team’s primary ninth-inning option and has performed well. However, Scott has posted a 4.97 ERA over his last 14 games.
