LOS ANGELES — Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani are progressing towards joining the Dodgers’ starting rotation soon.
The 23-year-old right-hander has stopped throwing and there is no timetable for him to resume his throwing program, let alone return to the mound. The latest setback puts his availability for the rest of this season in question.
“I think that’s fair,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Being thrust here, into this environment certainly was a big undertaking for him. And then now you layer in the health part of it, and then you layer he’s a starting pitcher, the buildup, what that entails – I think that that’s the prudent way to go about it.
“Whatever we get from him … I think, yeah, the mindset should be we got to plan on life without him, as far as this year. I think that’s a fair way to think about it.”
Much-hyped and pursued by multiple MLB teams when he decided to leave Japan for the United States this winter, Sasaki signed with the Dodgers but was quickly labeled “a work in progress,” tamping down expectations. He made eight starts for the Dodgers, going 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA and flashing neither the 100-mph fastball nor the devastating splitter he was billed as having.
He went on the IL with a shoulder impingement in mid-May and received an injection at some point. Sasaki also dealt with shoulder issues in Japan last season, causing him to miss time. He started a throwing program at the beginning of June but never advanced past “light catch” before stopping indefinitely this week.
“He’s just not feeling that he can kind of ramp it up,” Roberts said Sunday. “Right now it’s kind of a comfort thing for him and a confidence thing.”
Sasaki was said to be pain-free when he started his throwing program.
“He was,” Roberts acknowledged. “I don’t know if it’s pain. It’s more of a question for Roki to be quite honest with you, as far as kind of the sensation. … It’s discomfort. I don’t think it’s pain. It’s tightness. Just not feeling strong. Whatever the adjective you want to use, I would rather him kind of say that.”
Sasaki was not available and has not spoken to the media since immediately after going on the IL in May.
OHTANI SOON
Earlier this week, Roberts said the chances of Ohtani pitching in games before the All-Star break are “north of zero.” Told of that and asked for his own estimate, Saturday, Ohtani playfully responded, “Something like that.”
He will throw another live BP session to hitters this week and Roberts acknowledged it could “potentially” be Ohtani’s final session before pitching in games.
“He’s getting very eager, getting very excited,” Roberts said. “I think that there’s a point where, in hearing from Shohei, that the effort that it takes to throw lives (batting practice) and things like that, then to play a game – then let’s use those bullets in a game.
“He’s getting very excited.”
In his most recent live BP session, Ohtani threw 44 pitches over three innings Tuesday afternoon, then played as DH against the San Diego Padres that night.
“It’s like playing a doubleheader for him,” Roberts said.
Roberts raised the possibility of substituting a limited start from Ohtani – two or three innings, for example – for the full bullpen games that are currently a part of the Dodgers’ rotation plans.
“I think that the thought is anything he can give us, and I’ve said this before, is additive,” Roberts said. “Given where we’re at right now, whether it’s an inning or two innings on the front end of an outing, that’s positive. That’s additive, without cost. That’s kind of where our heads are at right now.”
PROTEST SUPPORT
While most athletes have remained silent about the wave of protests following aggressive ICE raids in Los Angeles and the ensuing arrival of National Guard and Marine troops, Kike’ Hernandez chose to speak up on Instagram Saturday.
Calling Los Angeles his “second home” that has “adopted me as one of their own,” Hernandez said he was “saddened and infuriated by what’s happening in our country and our city.”
“I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused and ripped apart,” wrote Hernandez, a native of Puerto Rico. “ALL people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity and human rights.”
He concluded with the hashtag “CityOfImmigrants.”
Also Saturday, Vanessa Hernandez, a Colombian-Dominican singer, songwriter and dancer known by the stage name Nezza, sang the National Anthem before the Dodgers-Giants game in Spanish. According to a video she posted to social media, it was against the Dodgers’ wishes that she sang “El Pendon Estrellado” – a Spanish version of the Star-Spangled Banner commissioned by the U.S. government under President Franklin Roosevelt.
“I stand with you,” she posted on social media. “I sang “El Pendon Estrellado” … at the Dodgers game after being told I couldn’t. And I’m so proud that I did. Stay safe. Stay strong. I love you.”
PADRE PLAN
Right-hander Ben Casparius will make his second start on Monday against the Padres – though he could be preceded by an opener.
Tuesday is likely to be a bullpen game with right-hander Emmet Sheehan activated from the injured list and making his return from Tommy John surgery on Wednesday. Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start on Thursday.
UP NEXT
Padres (RHP Dylan Cease, 2-5, 4.28 ERA) at Dodgers (TBA), Monday, 7:10 p.m. SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market), 570 AM