Roki Sasaki’s blister could be Dodgers blessing in disguise

Welcome to the California Post’s weekly Dodgers recap, where we review the week that was, hand out very official awards and take stock of the state of the season.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Will Roki Sasaki come back from blister as starter or reliever?

Roki Sasaki could see the end line.

As Sasaki was closing in on his aim of staying in the Dodgers’ beginning rotation for the total season, a blister all of a sudden shaped on the center finger of his pitching hand in his begin this week in Atlanta. The blister ruptured, and Sasaki was positioned on the injured record.

But what initially appeared like a roadblock could wind up being a handy detour.

Because Sasaki is expected to be deployed as a reliever again in the playoffs, particularly now with Tyler Glasnow back in the rotation and Shohei Ohtani following close behind.

As much as the Dodgers need to faux otherwise, Sasaki is their best option to close video games for them in October, just as he was last 12 months.

Edwin Diaz can’t be counted on at this level. Tanner Scott lost two video games this week in the Braves’ three-game sweep of the Dodgers.

But how would Sasaki transition to a high-leverage, late-inning position when he was insisting on beginning the total common season?

The blister might have taken care of that downside, as Sasaki figures to be more open to making bullpen trial runs now that his aim is out of attain.

“There’s certainly value in that,” Roberts said.

Depending on how long Sasaki is sidelined by his blister, Roberts said he could return from the injured record as a starter.

“There’s also value at some point – and I don’t know the schedule in the next two weeks, off days and all that stuff and where starters are going to be – with having him inserted to give other guys a blow,” Roberts said.

To the credit of the Dodgers, they have taken Sasaki’s needs into consideration in a scenario in which Sasaki has no leverage over them.

When Sasaki joined the Dodgers before last season, he did so on a customary minor-league contract. Because Major League Baseball classifies worldwide free brokers under 25 as amateurs, the Dodgers landed a participant who could have fetched a nine-figure contract on the open market at a minimal price.

The Dodgers have nonetheless supported Sasaki as if he was a high-priced acquisition, extending him every potential alternative to succeed, just as they have with Diaz and Kyle Tucker. 

Sasaki came to the United States with the ambition of changing into Japan’s first Cy Young Award winner, and he knows that doing so would require him to deal with the long-standing considerations about his sturdiness.

He spent 5 seasons with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese league and was unable to stay healthy for the entirety of any of them, which explains why he was decided to take every one of his turns in the Dodgers’ rotation this 12 months. 

Sasaki might not have reached the benchmark he set for himself, but his 23 begins this season are a career-high at any degree. He has posted a 3.05 earned-run average in seven video games after the All-Star break, indicating he still has a future as a starter. 

He has more or less achieved what he set out to do this 12 months, which was to get his profession back on observe.

He can now flip his consideration to getting ready for October.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Tyler Glasnow (5 innings, 3 runs, 7 strikeouts this week; 3.02 ERA, 44 ⅔ innings, 56 strikeouts this season)

Glasnow’s return was the spotlight of an otherwise atrocious week for the Dodgers in Atlanta.

Glasnow gave up three runs in his first inning against the Braves, and while those runs contributed to the 4-3 defeat, they were of minimal consequence long-term. Of larger significance were the 4 innings that adopted. From the second inning through the fifth, Glasnow restricted the Braves to two hits and struck out six.

Whether it’s as a starter or reliever, the former All-Star could be a game-changer for the Dodgers. Glasnow will be ready for both roles, as the plan is for him to enter the sport after Shohei Ohtani pitches the first inning of the Dodgers’ sequence finale in Detroit.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Hunter Feduccia (5 for 12, 1 stroll, 3 RBIs this week; .282 average, 1 home run, 4 RBIs, .774 OPS with the Dodgers this season)

The 29-year-old Feduccia, who broke into the main leagues with the Dodgers and was reacquired from the Tampa Bay Rays at the commerce deadline, has emerged as the main catcher in the absence of Will Smith. 

A profession .218 hitter, Feduccia is on the crew primarily for what he brings as a catcher. He guided Blake Snell through six scoreless innings in a begin against the Pirates in which the two-time Cy Young Award winner wasn’t at his best. Feduccia was also behind the plate for Glasnow’s return from a three-month absence, serving to the 6-foot-8 right-hander full 5 innings after a three-run first.

Feduccia also made some sudden contributions on offense, his four-game hitting streak a main motive why the backside of the order was the most productive half of the Dodgers’ lineup.

PROSPECT OF THE WEEK

Jacob Kmatz (0.84 ERA, 10 ⅔ innings, 14 strikeouts in double-A Tulsa; 2.54 ERA in 41 appearances across the minors this 12 months)

The Dodgers might have achieved it again.

Even at a commerce deadline that saw them add Tarik Skubal and several other big-league items, the Dodgers also made an under-the-radar acquisition to their pipeline in Kmatz, who has discovered rapid success since becoming a member of the group.

Acquired alongside Feduccia from the Rays on deadline day, Kmatz has allowed just one run in his first 10 2/3 innings with the Dodgers’ double-A affiliate in Tulsa, placing out 14 batters and only strolling two.

The 23-year-old right-hander was already having a good marketing campaign in 2026, overcoming his struggles as a starter in A-ball last 12 months (5.56 ERA in 23 video games) by transitioning to the bullpen with Tampa Bay’s high-A and double-A golf equipment (he has a 2.54 ERA general on the season).

And if he retains up his current type, he could discover himself in the Dodgers’ big-league plans at some level in the next couple seasons.

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