PHOENIX — The Dodgers’ bullpen has created more questions than answers. In the final week of the regular season, the team is going off-script in an effort to find a solution.
The 23-year-old Sasaki, who has been on the injured list since May with impingement in his right shoulder, has less than a week to adapt to an unfamiliar role. He will have a legitimate chance to make the postseason roster, which might say more about where the Dodgers are in the bullpen than their opinion on Sasaki as a relief option.
Another telling detail: Clayton Kershaw, at his own suggestion, was available out of the Dodgers’ ‘pen on Tuesday and will be on Wednesday as well.
“Just kind of where weâ€re at, weâ€ve got to get the best guys to get outs,” Roberts said. “So if Clayton is viable, and heâ€s viable, then weâ€re gonna use him. Thatâ€s just kind of where weâ€re at. Weâ€ve had almost six months to make decisions and see where things go. So thereâ€s certainly time, and weâ€re gonna need certain guys.
“But guys have got to do their job. You have to do your job. I canâ€t put it any more nice.â€
The Dodgers are hoping Sasaki can step up and do that job. There were no openings for Sasaki in the Dodgers’ six-man rotation, as it was. The only clear path for the right-hander to close out his rookie year in the Major Leagues was to move to the bullpen, a role he filled for the first time in his professional career during his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
“I think he’s embraced it,” Roberts said. “I think he’s done a very nice job. I think once he’s in the ‘pen, we’ll make decisions on when we use him.”
Sasaki made his last two rehab outings in relief and looked markedly better than he had as a starter. He fired two scoreless innings with Oklahoma City over the weekend, striking out three against one walk. His velocity ticked up in a short-burst role, averaging 98.9 mph on his four-seamer on Friday and 97.5 mph on Sunday.
If Sasaki’s velocity and stuff continues to play in relief at the big league level, he could very well crack a postseason bullpen that could use a lockdown right-hander. Whether it’s fair to expect that from an inexperienced Sasaki is another question.
The Dodgers currently have the following righties in their bullpen: Blake Treinen, Kirby Yates, Edgardo Henriquez and Will Klein. Treinen (5.55 ERA) and Yates (5.23) have struggled this season, while Henriquez and Klein have pitched a combined 40 1/3 big league innings. L.A. had hoped that Trade Deadline acquisition Brock Stewart would be able to stabilize the group, but his status for the final week of the regular season and beyond appears to be in question.
The Dodgers have gone several directions with their bullpen in leverage situations. Roberts turned to a pair of reliable rookies in Jack Dreyer and Henriquez with a 4-0 lead on Tuesday, only for the duo to give up three runs in the seventh inning. Alex Vesia pitched a scoreless eighth, but another struggling veteran — Tanner Scott — gave up too many free bases and the resulting walk-off knock to Geraldo Perdomo.
So back to the drawing board once more. Why not Sasaki?
The biggest challenge for Sasaki may be the cadence of working in relief. Earlier in the year, the Dodgers mostly kept him on a once-a-week schedule when he was in the rotation in an effort to ease his transition from NPB. He pitched on two days’ rest in his final outing with Oklahoma City.
The Dodgers could try to keep him on that schedule, but the playoffs often necessitate more fluidity with roles and usage.
“I think that’s what he’s done to try to feel his way into this role,” Roberts said. “But if he’s on the postseason roster, anything is on the table.”
Just as anything appears to be on the table for the Dodgers as they search for a solution in the ‘pen.
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