LOS ANGELES — Right-hander Roki Sasaki will not be on the upcoming long-haul road trip to Boston, Cincinnati and Tampa, yet will be on his own busy travel and work schedule.
Sasaki threw a 39-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday morning and will have another Saturday at Dodger Stadium when the team is on the East Coast. He then will depart for Arizona to ramp up his preparations for a return.
Sasaki’s first pitching session against hitters since his recovery began will come at some point next week at the team’s facility in the desert.
Sasaki has made just eight starts in his rookie season and none after May 9 because of a shoulder impingement.
Ramping up his progression means the Dodgers are confident Sasaki will be able to help down the stretch, although there remains no official timetable for a return. Manager Dave Roberts did admit that Sasaki’s remaining progression will be about the same as the ones for starters Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell, who had shoulder inflammation.
Glasnow returned just before the All-Star break and Snell will have what is expected to be his last minor-league rehab outing Saturday and return next week while the team is on the road.
Glasnow first faced live hitters June 13 and made his return to a major league mound on July 9. With Sasaki facing live hitters next week, his progression could put him back in the big leagues when rosters expand in September.
“It’s exciting,” Roberts said. “He’s obviously very talented. I think we haven’t come close to seeing what’s in there, even for this season. Obviously things happen, and you got to kind of read and react, so to get more guys back online, to backfill, to kind of be to the forefront, any way you want to see it, I think is really exciting.”
When Sasaki was engaging free-agent suitors in the offseason, he gave teams a homework assignment on ways they would address a bit of reduced velocity he experienced in 2024. The Dodgers have been working with Sasaki on some mechanical adjustments during his recovery.
“This is the time for him to figure things out, as he’s building up,” Roberts said. “From what I’ve heard from the pitching guys, the delivery is much more consistent. I think that lends itself to the strength that he has now. He’s gotten a lot stronger.
“… We wouldn’t have him come back if we don’t feel like he can be very competitive. But I like where we’re at right now.”
CATCHING A BREAK
An MRI on the right leg of reliever Ben Casparius confirmed the initial diagnosis of a cramp and the right-hander will avoid a trip to the injured list. Casparius departed a rough outing Tuesday night against the Minnesota Twins in the sixth inning.
Relief options have been fading fast, with left-hander Tanner Scott going on the IL on Tuesday with elbow inflammation. It means the Dodgers have received better-than-expected injury diagnoses in consecutive days.
Casparius still was experiencing residual soreness after he failed to retire any of the four batters he faced Tuesday. The unsightly outing included a double and three walks.
“I think the soreness is probably from pushing through the cramp a little bit more than I would have wanted to,” Casparius said. “Kind of a tough spot. I think I got to a point where I just, I was kind of worried about it being irreversible for the season, or something that might sideline me for the rest of the year. But, yeah, I was bummed to kind of put the team in that spot.”
Casparius walked that fine line of trying to stay in the game for the sake of a bullpen that has absorbed an excessive amount of injuries. But in doing so, he risked a more serious issue.
“When things are going how they’re going, people tend to want to do more, to try to be proactive and force certain things,” Roberts said. “That’s a part of it and that’s just human nature. So I think that the way I look at it is, he’s not hurt or injured. It was a cramp. Understanding why he tried to push through it, in that moment, I understand it.”
DESERT DAYS
Third baseman Max Muncy will head to the Dodgers’ facility in Arizona on Friday as he gets set for multiple sessions against live pitching. He is scheduled to go on a minor-league rehab assignment next week.
Muncy hasn’t played since July 2 when he came away with a bone bruise in his left knee. Muncy’s eventual diagnosis was also better news than what the Dodgers had initially feared.
ALSO
Shohei Ohtani will make his next start from the mound Monday in Cincinnati, with a goal of reaching four innings after going three innings in his previous two starts. Ohtani has a 1.50 ERA in six short outings (12 innings). …
Right-hander Tony Gonsolin (elbow) has not resumed throwing in any capacity, with Roberts admitting that time is running out for him to be able to pitch again this season. Gonsolin did not pitch last season and made seven starts earlier this season.
UP NEXT
After an off day Thursday, it will be Dodgers (RHP Emmet Sheehan, 1-1, 4.41 ERA) at Red Sox (TBA), Friday, 4:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA, 570 AM