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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is uncertain about how to use pitcher Roki Sasaki after he completed a live batting practice session in Cincinnati as part of his return from an injury. Originally set to move back into the bullpen, recent injuries to starters Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow have made Sasaki's potential role in the starting rotation more likely, especially heading into the playoffs. Roberts confirmed that Sasaki will make at least one start next week but remains flexible about his long-term usage based on how the team's other pitchers fare.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In CINCINNATI, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is uncertain about how to use 24-year-old pitcher Roki Sasaki after he completed a live batting practice session on Wednesday as part of his recovery from a blister injury. Despite Sasaki's strong performance in the second half of this season with a 2.31 ERA over six starts, he had been seen as an extra arm behind four veteran starters heading into the World Series push. Roberts is considering shifting Sasaki back to the bullpen to acclimate him for late-inning relief roles but remains non-committal about the exact plan moving forward.
Written for “Dodgers Injury Crisis” on 2026-09-18,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
CINCINNATI –– Even after watching Roki Sasaki complete the final checkmark in his recovery from a blister on Wednesday afternoon, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts couldn’t say for sure how the team would use the 24-year-old phenom pitcher.
asserted
team → watch → pitcher
All year, it seemed clear that Sasaki was destined to wind up back in the Dodgers bullpen, reprising the late-inning leverage role he unexpectedly ascended to as a rookie last October.
asserted
he → seem → rookie
Though he had turned a corner as a starter during the second half of this campaign, posting a 2.31 ERA in his first six outings after the All-Star break, he had still long looked like a superfluous piece of the Dodgers’ rotation, an excess arm stuck behind the four veteran superstars the club had penciled in to lead this fall’s World Series push.
asserted
club → turn → push
However, Roberts remained non-committal about Sasaki’s plan on Wednesday, after the right-hander completed a four-inning, 48-pitch session of live batting practice in Cincinnati, in what was hoped to be his final step before returning from the injured list.
asserted
what → remain → list
On the one hand, the skipper noted, the Dodgers could shift Sasaki to the bullpen now, give him time to re-acclimate to relief duties, and let him focus on just short-burst stints.
uncertain
him → note → stints
But on the other, “one can argue it’s best to [let him] take down a couple starts and keep him built up,” Roberts countered.
asserted
Roberts → argue → him
“Because if something does happen, then he is built up.”
asserted
he → happen → ?
Hours later, the something Roberts was worried about might have suddenly happened –– with Blake Snell’s groin injury having direct repercussions on Sasaki’s potential task.
uncertain
injury → worry → task
In Wednesday night’s game, Snell left his start after just one inning because of left groin tightness.
asserted
Snell → leave → tightness
While he’s hopeful he avoided any serious injury, he has had bouts of groin issues in the past that have sidelined him for up to a month at a time.
asserted
that → ’ → time
If that were to be the case again now, Sasaki would be first in line to replace Snell in the Dodgers’ postseason rotation.
asserted
Sasaki → replace → rotation
Mix in the uncertainty surrounding fellow starter Tyler Glasnow faced following his four-inning outing last weekend in Miami –– after which he conspicuously returned immediately to Los Angeles to limit extra travel on the rest of this road trip –– and Sasaki now seems like a valuable starting-pitching insurance policy the Dodgers might still need to utilize in the playoffs.
uncertain
Dodgers → mix → playoffs
That’s why, by the end of Wednesday’s game, Roberts was able to at least be definitive about the team’s plan for Sasaki when he comes off the injured list, confirming he is likely to make a start sometime next week, perhaps during a visit from the San Diego Padres.
asserted
he → ’ → Padres
In a best-case scenario, that will be Sasaki’s last time starting a game this year, with an otherwise healthy rotation allowing the Dodgers to shift him to an equally banged-up bullpen.
asserted
Dodgers → start → bullpen
Which means, when it comes to Sasaki, all options remain on the table.
asserted
options → mean → table
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