Just when the Los Angeles Dodgers thought their rotation was on the verge of being fully healthy, another starter is headed to the injured list.
Right-hander Roki Sasaki, lifted from Wednesday’s game against the Braves in Atlanta after giving up four runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings, will be placed on the 15-day injured list with a blister on his right middle finger, manager Dave Roberts told reporters after the game.
Speaking through an interpreter after the Braves’ 6-5 walk-off win, the 24-year-old Sasaki said the blister appeared suddenly during the fourth inning, when he gave up three runs.
“When I was facing the first hitter in the fourth inning, I actually didn’t feel anything coming beforehand,” Sasaki said. “My skin just ripped off, and then after that, it got worse. … I thought I was able to manage at first because the skin was still there, but after that, it kept getting worse, and I think it affected my slider afterwards.”
The injury comes as Sasaki is in the midst of perhaps his best run in the majors to date. He entered the game having gone 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA and 34 strikeouts over 35 innings in his previous six starts.
It also comes at a time when the news regarding the Dodgers’ staff had been positive of late. After missing three months with an elbow injury, left-hander Blake Snell is 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 18 innings in three starts since his return.
Righty Tyler Glasnow gave up three runs and struck out seven over five innings against Atlanta on Tuesday in his first game since May 6. He had been dealing with back issues.
And Shohei Ohtani, who hasn’t pitched since July 3 after injuring his knee, could be back on the mound as early as this weekend.
Another bright spot for the Dodgers staff, lefty Eric Lauer, may take Sasaki’s spot in the rotation. He is 7-1 with a 3.76 ERA in 12 games since being acquired from Toronto in May.
Sasaki is 5-5 with a 4.60 ERA across 23 starts and 119 1/3 innings this season. In two seasons since coming to Los Angeles from Japan, Sasaki is 6-6 with a 4.57 ERA in 33 appearances (31 starts). He was a key piece of the Dodgers’ playoff run en route to their World Series title last season, appearing in nine games out of the bullpen and giving up just one earned run over 10 2/3 innings pitched and picking up three saves.
