Shohei Ohtani ‘under the weather,’ scratched from his pitching start

The Dodgers launcher, Roki Sasaki, throws in the outside field at the Dodger Stadium before a match in July.

(Eric Thayer / Associated Press)

When the recruit launcher Roki Sasaki began a rehabilitation assignment last month, in order to return from a shoulder injury that cost him most of his first MLB season, Roberts said that the calculation would be simple for the Japanese phenomenon.

If he played as one of the 13 best Dodgers launchers, they would find a place for him on the list of large leagues. Otherwise, they wouldn’t do it.

After four triple-a outings, the latter became the dark reality of the 23-year-old right-hander. And now, his chances of joining the alignment of the big leagues this season seem almost wiped out.

Tuesday, Sasaki again disappointed by the Oklahoma City subsidiary of the club, abandoning four points (on a pair of two rounds of two rounds) in a performance of five rounds, two balls and two shots. His quick ball, which was announced as a 100 MPH weapon when he signed this off -season with the Dodgers, went back to an average of 94.4 MPH. Overall, he now has an MPM of 7.07 during his recent rehabilitation passage. And Wednesday, Roberts said that he was not planned for Sasaki to join the major leagues team for the moment.

“The performance, the things was not there,” said Roberts. “Against Triple-A strikers, you expect more and more.”

Sasaki, of course, always believes that it is a key article in the long -term pitching plans of dodgers.

Because it signed as an international free agent, the team was able to secure it for six seasons of control at the cost of a signing bonus of $ 6.5 million. Over time, they hope to be able to achieve its potential as a possible MLB.

This year, however, has become a lost cause.

In eight MLB begins at the start of the season, Sasaki suffered from a lack of speed and wild command while displaying an MPM of 4.72 in 34 1/3 sleeves. The theory was then that his throbbing shoulder wound was partly to blame. But in recent times, Sasaki has continued to fight even after his return to what Roberts said was 100% of health.

“Roki has gone through a lot this year, and he still has a ton of talents,” said Roberts. “We just want to see more.”

Dodgers certainly do not need Sasaki to operate a world series. They are currently having six start-up options on the list of large leagues, and an enclosure of lifts that gets closer to total health thanks to the activation of Michael Kopech of this week and the expected yields of Alex Vesia (which will start its own rehabilitation assignment with Oklahoma City on Wednesday) and Brock Stewart later this month. Brusdar rays could also be an option at the end of the season after missing this year to recover from shoulder surgery, but its prospects remain clear.

“The bar is raised right now because we are in a pennant race,” said Roberts.

However, when Sasaki arrived as a very publicized prospect (although still in development) in the offseason, the idea was that he could immediately contribute in the big leagues.

Instead, his quick ball still lacks life, his performances remain incoherent and his plan for the rest of this season is pending. Roberts said that the organization should “snuggle up together and understand what is best for Roki and how we can get the most out of him”.

“To justify a pitch on our staff at the moment, there must be an emergency on their part and the truly dominant performance,” added Roberts. “This is the level of the place where we are.”