LOS ANGELES — In the realm of baseball legends, few arrivals are as electric and as fragile as Rōki Sasaki’s. When the 23-year-old Japanese phenom signed with the Dodgers in January, he carried not just a perfect game in his back pocket, but the weight of profound personal and professional expectation.
Now, after a shoulder impingement has kept him off the field since mid-May, Sasaki’s return is less about speed and more about grace.
From “Monster” to MLB Debut
The setting that shaped him was almost cinematic. Born in Rikuzentakata and surviving the 2011 tsunami that claimed family and home, Sasaki rose to become known as the “Monster of the Reiwa Era.” In high school, he shattered Japan’s velocity records with a 163 km/h fastball, leaving even Shohei Ohtani in his wake, and later threw a perfect game that etched his name deep in the record books.
The Dodgers’ acquisition was a seismic moment: the team’s bet on raw, previously under-leveraged potential. But the adjustment curve to MLB proved steeper than anticipated. Sasaki debuted in March 2025, putting up a modest 4.72 ERA across eight starts, frequently battling command issues and fatigue.
First Setback: Shoulder Hits Pause
On May 13, the Dodgers placed Sasaki on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement. Manager Dave Roberts emphasized that this wasn’t just an injury; it was a reminder that young arms need time, health, and care. There was no timeline for return, and the narrative shifted from excitement to endurance.
Within days, the fragile optimism cracked. Sasaki “wasn’t comfortable” throwing at full intensity and was shut down completely, no mound sessions, not even catch. It seemed MLB’s brightest rookie light had dimmed just when fans needed it.
First Throwback: A Step in the Right Direction
Until June 20, when Sasaki quietly resumed throwing, starting with short tosses from 60 to 90 feet. It wasn’t a spotlight moment, but it matters. Roberts called it “a bonus… a plus,” underscoring Sasaki’s clear delight more than his velocity.
Then, last week, TrueBlueLA confirmed Sasaki had made his second rehab start for Triple-A Oklahoma City: 3.1 innings, 60 pitches, two runs (one earned). The Comets lost on a walk-off, but Sasaki’s return brought quiet catharsis.
Why the Caution Makes Sense
Rushed returns have aged many a pitcher prematurely. The Dodgers are no strangers to measuring greatness. Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell are walking testaments to patience as they rehab alongside Sasaki.
The difference this time is that Sasaki’s elite skillset is still untarnished. Once he trusts his arm again, everything his splitter, fastball, and MLB’s future come back into play.
A Path Forward, Rather Than a Countdown
There’s whole-team anxiety over when or if Sasaki will return this season. No one, certainly not his team or now-familiar fanbase, wants to put an expiry date on his promise.
As one Dodgers insider wrote, Sasaki’s future is open-ended: “When [he returns], he and the Dodgers will have a second chance to make a first impression.” And given the trajectory he’s on, it’s one the world is ready to applaud.
