The Los Angeles Dodgers are dealing with an injury to one of their key players, as right-hander Roki Sasaki has landed on the injured list due to a shoulder injury. This is an injury that is a less serious version of the one that he experienced in Japan last season. With his injury, there has been a drop in his velocity, but it’s not clear if it’s the reason for the decline.
“It’s hard to tell if it’s the main reason why my velo and command was affected,” Sasaki said via ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.
Sasaki began having discomfort in his shoulder a few games ago, and his play showed that something may have been wrong, as he allowed a combined eight runs on 11 hits and four walks in nine innings before they placed him on the IL. He described the injury not as painful, but it wasn’t the way that he wanted his shoulder to move.
Sasaki admitted that he’s been dealing with discomfort for the past two years, but he couldn’t pinpoint what contributed to the injury.
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“There’s nothing, per se, that I can say is for certain. But it is a very good time for me to make sure that I can get to the bottom of it,” Sasaki said.
With Sasaki having some time to recover, he has the chance to work on some of the mechanical adjustments required for him to be successful in the major leagues.
“I do think that this is a good time to be able to do that,” Sasaki said. “I want to make sure that I’m fully healthy and be able to address anything that I had so that it leads to better performance.”
Despite the injuries that the Dodgers are dealing with, they are still 28-15 and are in first place in the NL West.
