Dodgers need more from Roki Sasaki as pitching injuries mount

Nypost · May 16, 2026 · 679 words · By Jack Harris

Expectation vs. Reality Athletic Performance Roster Management

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/16/sports/why-dodgers-need-more-from-roki-sasaki-amid…

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Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

11 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 5

info Single Source 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

schedule Pending 1

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“The Dodgers lost Tyler Glasnow (back spasms) and Blake Snell (loose bodies in his elbow) to the injured list.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that both Blake Snell (loose bodies in elbow) and Tyler Glasnow (lower back spasms) were placed on the injured list.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 Los Angeles Dodgers season was the 136th season for the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise in Major League Baseball (MLB), their 68th season in Los Angeles, California, and their 64th season playi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Los_Angeles_Dodgers_seaso…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Los Angeles Dodgers season is the 137th season for the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise in Major League Baseball (MLB), their 69th season in Los Angeles, California, and their 65th season playin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Los_Angeles_Dodgers_seaso…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Blake Ashton Snell (born December 4, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Ra…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blake_Snell

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“In each of his last three outings, he has pitched into the sixth inning.”

CORROBORATED

Two separate web search results explicitly state that Sasaki has pitched into the sixth inning in each of his last three starts.

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web search NEUTRAL — He’s pitched into the sixth inning in each of his three starts, including a quality start against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 2. Sasaki seemed to be breaking through in his start against the Giants…
https://heavy.com/sports/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/andrew-frie…

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web search NEUTRAL — On Sunday, Roki Sasaki pitched four innings of two-run ball.The velocity still tailed off with each inning, perhaps a byproduct of his not pitching into the sixth inning in quite a while. It marked pr…
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7191768/2026/04/12/los-ange…

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web search NEUTRAL — For about five innings Monday night, Roki Sasaki looked like he was finally about to give the Los Angeles Dodgers — and maybe himself — a much-needed breakthrough.Then came the sixth inning — and with…
https://dodgersway.com/roki-sasaki-was-so-close-to-turning-d…

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“his ERA remains close to 6.00”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources report his ERA as being close to 6.00, specifically citing 6.23 and 5.88.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kō Matsukawa (松川虎生, Matsukawa Kou; born October 20, 2003) is a Japanese professional baseball catcher for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kō_Matsukawa

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In baseball, a perfect game is a game in which one or more pitchers complete a minimum of nine innings with no batter from the opposing team reaching base safely. To achieve a perfect game, a team mus…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_game_(baseball)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Roki Sasaki (Japanese: 佐々木朗希, Hepburn: Sasaki Rōki; born November 3, 2001), nicknamed "the Monster of the Reiwa Era" (令和の怪物, Reiwa no Kaibutsu), is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Lo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roki_Sasaki

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“the 24-year-old right-hander”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms Roki Sasaki was born November 3, 2001 (making him 23 or 24 depending on the current date in the 2025/2026 season context) and is a right-handed pitcher for the Dodgers.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A total of 74 Japanese-born players have played in at least one Major League Baseball (MLB) game. Of these players, twelve are on existing MLB rosters. The first instance of a Japanese player playing …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On April 10, 2022, Rōki Sasaki of the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball's (NPB) Pacific League threw a perfect game against the Orix Buffaloes at Zozo Marine Stadium in Chiba City. I…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rōki_Sasaki's_perfect_game

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“a five-plus-inning, three-run start against the Giants last week.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm a start against the Giants where he went five-plus innings and allowed three runs.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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“his next outing on Sunday against the Angels”

SINGLE SOURCE

While search results mention games against the Angels, they refer to spring training starts (e.g., March 23, 2026) rather than a confirmed upcoming Sunday regular season outing in a way that corroborates a specific future schedule across multiple sources.

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web search NEUTRAL — LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki had another rough spring training start Monday night. Sasaki issued six walks while allowing five runs in two-plus innings against the Los An…
https://www.krqe.com/sports/ap-dodgers-pitcher-roki-sasaki-s…

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web search NEUTRAL — Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Roki Sasaki stands in the dugout before a spring training baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Monday, March 23, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)…
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/dodgers-trust-roki-sasaki-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Dodgers Pitcher Roki Sasaki discusses what he is looking forward to now that he is a Dodgers, places he wants to go to, foods he wants to try and moreCourtes...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VevhbXcloAI

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“Glasnow (who will be out for at least a couple more weeks) and Snell (who will likely be sidelined for the next 2-3 months)”

CORROBORATED

Web search results indicate Glasnow is out for a couple of weeks and Snell is expected to miss roughly three months (returning after the All-Star break).

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web search NEUTRAL — Pearsall was expected to be recovered in time for training camp, but appears to have hit a setback in his recovery.
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/dodgers-lhp-blake-snell-exp…

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web search NEUTRAL — He is expected to return after the All-Star break, but will miss roughly three months after appearing in only seven games for his new team.Tyler Glasnow, another high-priced free agent acquisition who…
https://www.espn.com/espn/print?id=48781412

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web search NEUTRAL — Snell is expected to undergo an operation next week to remove bone chips from his elbow, people familiar with the situation told The California Post.According to sources, Dodgers ace Blake Snell is ex…
https://nypost.com/2026/05/16/sports/with-blake-snell-hurt-d…

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“Sasaki has made significant strides with his fastball command over the last month, going from nearly seven walks per nine innings in his first three outings to just six total free passes in his last 20 ⅔ frames.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While search results discuss Sasaki's struggles and command, none of the provided evidence snippets contain the specific statistics regarding 'seven walks per nine innings' or 'six total free passes in his last 20.66 frames'.

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web search NEUTRAL — Roki Sasaki’s Major League Baseball debut was equal parts electrifying and erratic, with the Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander displaying a powerful arm but also a wild streak that limited his outing t…
https://www.click2houston.com/sports/2025/03/19/dodgers-roki…

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web search NEUTRAL — Roki Sasaki was solid for the Dodgers through five inning Monday before things began to unravel.That’s the tightrope they’ll continue to walk. However, it naturally invites the question that if Sasaki…
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7271831/2026/05/12/dodgers-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Roki Sasaki has abandoned his efforts to find Roki Sasaki. Sasaki returned to the mound a new pitcher Saturday, a nonverbal acknowledgment that the Roki Sasaki of three or four years ago is gone, poss…
https://nypost.com/2026/04/26/sports/dodgers-roki-sasaki-has…

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“The addition of a new, harder splitter to complement his trademark, but difficult-to-control, forkball”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the addition of a new harder splitter.

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“he has the fourth-highest home run rate among any pitcher with at least 30 innings this year”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding his home run rate ranking among pitchers with 30+ innings.

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“in two of his last three outings, he pushed into the sixth inning but was removed before recording another out”

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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

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Dodgers need more from Roki Sasaki as pitching injuries mount

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