The Los Angeles Dodgers positioned right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki on the injured listing Tuesday with a proper shoulder impingement. Sasaki grew to become the 14th Dodgers pitcher to land on the IL.
Learn extra: Dodgers Place Roki Sasaki on Injured Checklist With Shoulder Damage
Sasaki joins Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Stone, Emmet Sheehan, River Ryan, Blake Treinen, Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, Kyle Damage, Michael Grove, and Edgardo Henriquez. With Shohei Ohtani not anticipated to take the mound till after the All-Star break, he’s technically the fifteenth “injured” pitcher.
Kershaw is predicted to return Saturday and make his first begin of the 2025 season in opposition to the Los Angeles Angels. Nonetheless, each different pitcher’s timeline to return stays unsure.
Lately, the Dodgers have handled damage woes to the pitching employees specifically. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman admitted the Dodgers’ damage historical past motivated the workforce’s aggressive method final offseason.
Friedman added the Dodgers needed to be “ready as they might presumably be.” Lower than two months into the season, the Dodgers have a complete of 14 pitchers on the IL (15 with Ohtani).
The Dodgers entered the 2024 postseason with three beginning pitchers and an overworked bullpen. Whereas the scenario in L.A. felt like unhealthy luck, it’s evident that there’s an in depth downside with the well being of the Dodgers pitching employees as a collective.
Pitching coach Mark Prior mentioned the difficulties of navigating the damage woes which have plagued L.A. lately.
“Once they get right here to this degree, generally they get utilized in completely different roles, and so they get taxed in numerous ways in which they won’t be accustomed to,” Prior stated to The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. “In order that’s one factor that we’ve seemed into, is making an attempt to organize, whether or not they’re utterly relievers arising, or they’re starters turned relievers. All these issues matter, sort of such as you’re on-ramping what it’s like.
“As a result of once you rise up right here, issues change, and so they change very drastically. A man could be pitching each sixth day down there; unexpectedly, you’re anticipated to pitch a number of innings. … That takes time to acclimate, to your physique to determine, ‘How do I do that every day,’ not simply that one time.”
Learn extra: Dodgers’ Mark Prior Opens Up on Strategy of Making an attempt to Get Roki Sasaki on Observe
Photograph Credit score: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Photographs
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