Roki Sasaki Builds on Electric Postseason for Sophomore MLB Year

Roki Sasaki’s second MLB Spring Training with the Dodgers feels like a story of comeback and growth. After a rough rookie year, when elbow and shoulder issues slowed him down, Sasaki caught fire late in the 2025 postseason and reminded everyone just how nasty his stuff can be.

Now he’s rolling into the 2026 camp looking healthier, more refined, and ready to show he’s more than just a flashy playoff weapon. Sasaki wants to prove he can handle a full season as a starter, not just come in hot for a few big games.

Spring Training Outlook for Roki Sasaki

During his rookie regular season, Sasaki put up a 4.72 ERA across eight starts. Then a right shoulder impingement landed him on the IL, stalling what looked like a fast rise.

When he returned, his delivery looked cleaner, and that high-velocity fastball was still there, just like when he wowed scouts in Nippon Professional Baseball. He found his edge again, attacking hitters with late life on his heater, and helped close out the Dodgers’ playoff run.

The Dodgers’ front office is watching his health and how he adapts to a starter’s workload. They think his improved mechanics and stronger frame will help him handle the grind better this year.

He’s spent a full offseason with the Dodgers, and the team feels pretty good about managing his innings to keep him durable. The big question now: Can Sasaki keep sequencing his pitches and keep hitters guessing all year long?

New Pitch Arsenal and Strategy vs Righties

To get more consistent and keep righties honest, Sasaki’s been working on more than just his four-seamer and splitter. He’s tried out a “cutter-slider” in live BP, which has hit 98.6 mph. There’s also a more classic cutter, a sinker, and a gyro slider in the mix.

• Cutter-slider: A fast, late-breaking pitch he’s mixing in during live BP to mess with hitters’ timing and pair with his fastball.
• Cutter: A true, horizontal pitch that runs away from righties, stretching the plate and opening up the inside.
• Sinker: He’s using this to get grounders and keep hitters from sitting on his high heat.
• Gyro slider: A sharper breaking ball for getting swings and misses, especially with two strikes.

With this mix, Sasaki’s aiming for more ways to attack righties, since his four-seamer sometimes got squared up and his splitter could wander out of the zone. The Dodgers hope this more versatile approach will work from the rotation, not just in relief.

These new pitches aren’t just for show—they’re meant to help Sasaki stay sharp deeper into games and avoid putting too much strain on his shoulder. If the cutter-slider and gyro slider click, his ceiling as a starter could jump even higher. That blend of big velocity and sharp secondary stuff? It could make him a real problem for hitters all year long.

Organizational Focus: Health, Mechanics, and Longevity

Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes and manager Dave Roberts keep bringing up health and the refinement of secondary pitches as key parts of Sasaki’s spring plan. The organization wants sustainable pitching, which means load management, stronger core mechanics, and a delivery that’s clear and easy to repeat so injuries don’t keep popping up.

This all fits with what Sasaki himself keeps saying—he knows he needs to control what he can: his mechanics, his durability, and being willing to adapt as the season drags on. After a full offseason inside the Dodgers’ system, Sasaki says he feels healthier and more ready to build on what he did last postseason.

He gets that the challenge is still there: he has to turn last fall’s momentum into a solid, productive run from spring through the long season ahead. The next few months will show if this mix of regained velocity and a broader set of pitches can actually hold up in a starting role.

 
Here is the source article for this story: Sasaki looking to build off electric postseason for his sophomore year