Mike Salas
The Chiba Lotte Marines and Japanese baseball fans got there first look at Roki Sasaki today (August 1st) when he took the mound for the first time in 2 months to take on Seibu. Sasaki pitched 5IP / 3H / 1BB / 3K/ 72P / 5 whiffs and his fastball was sitting at 96-99 mph. I’m sure MLB baseball scouts were watching also since Sasaki is rumored to make the jump into the Majors next year.
The 22-year-old pitcher had been sidelined since June of this year due to right arm discomfort and conditioning. Sasaki has dealt with minor injuries in the past dealing with fitness concerns well into the season and blisters on his throwing hand.
There have not been any reports on what Sasaki’s arm injury really is. The only reports that I have found is the Marines had initially expressed optimism about his condition, but later indicated his arm injury was more severe than previously thought.
Sasaki’s recent arm injury has raised concerns on his durability and previous stamina issues. Hochi News reported Sasaki was removed from the Marines roster due to “Poor conditioning of the right upper limb”. In his 5 seasons of playing in the NPB, Sasaki has yet to finish out the whole season in a 6-man rotation without some kind of conditioning issue.
Even though Sasaki has only started nine games this season, his stats are still pretty good. He has 5-2 record / .714W/L% / 1.96ERA / 59.2IP / 70SO / 0.972WHIP / 3.89SO/W. The question, is Roki Sasaki still a good fit for the Dodgers or any major league team with his recent pitching arm and stamina issues?
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