The Los Angeles Dodgers are walking a thin line when it comes to giving Roki Sasaki the best chance to excel in the MLB. After having him in the bullpen last season, the Dodgers moved Sasaki into the starting rotation this year. His 1-3 record and 5.88 ERA have sparked speculation about whether he can become a trade chip. With the trade deadline nearing, the President of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman, has recently revealed the Dodgers’ plans regarding Sasaki.

“We definitely see him as a long-term starting pitcher,” Friedman told The Athletic’s Katie Woo, per Underdog MLB. “We are very firm believers that he has the ability and the upside to be an elite starting pitcher in this game.”

Despite rival GMs reportedly checking in to see if they could buy low on the struggling pitcher, the Dodgers are not looking to trade Sasaki.

The Dodgers signed Sasaki as an international free agent in January 2025. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the No.1 prospect of that year. During his time at the NPB, Sasaki had posted a 2.10 ERA with 505 strikeouts in 64 outings. However, the transition from NPB to MLB has not been smooth for Sasaki. His current transition to the major leagues looks a lot like Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s rocky start in 2024. Like Yamamoto, Sasaki is quickly learning that big-league hitters easily punish mistakes that NPB hitters might miss.

His fastball, which once sat regularly in the 99-100 mph category, has been fluctuating, averaging about 96-98mph for the Dodgers. Sasaki’s forkball has also not been as effective as it was in Japan, leading the Dodgers to persuade Sasaki to add a third pitch to his arsenal. The right-hander has worked to add a slider and brought a variation to his forkball, which resembles a splitter.

The Dodgers are willing to invest in Sasaki for the long term. However, instead of optioning him to the minor leagues, the Dodgers believe the big leagues would be the best place for him to develop. Multiple factors are also at play behind the decision.

“The feedback he gets from major-league hitters is really important,” Friedman told The Athletic. “This is a really talented pitcher who, when delivery and throw and everything is synced up, can really spot a fastball. We haven’t seen that as much here and now. Some of that’s the ball, some of it may be giving hitters too much credit. Some of it may be the delivery, but those are all things that him facing the best of the best, helps us get there.”

For a pitcher like Sasaki, the Triple-A or the minor league affiliates won’t be challenging enough to work on his deficits. He can get away with more mistakes in the minor league than he can facing MLB hitters. For instance, against the Chicago White Sox minor league on March 20, Sasaki allowed only one hit and zero walks with nine strikeouts. He is yet to put up a similar display in the MLB this season.

On Monday, Sasaki took the loss against the San Francisco Giants as they prevailed over the Dodgers 9-3. For the first five innings, it looked like Sasaki’s best start on the mound this season.

The Japanese held the Giants to one run till the top of the fifth, following Rafael Devers’ 401-feet solo shot on his splitter in the second inning. Sasaki looked good on the mound, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the third. He closed the fifth after retiring eight hitters in 81 pitches and was prepared to go 6.0 innings deep.

However, entering the sixth, Sasaki gave up three hits in a row, which included Heliot Ramos’ go-ahead double, which put the Giants up 3-2. Following the double, manager Dave Roberts pulled Sasaki at 91 pitches and 5.0+ innings.

Despite his struggles, Friedman has assured that Sasaki does not have to worry about his job security at the moment. They are preparing the 24-year-old for the future.

Following Monday’s loss, through interpreter Kensuke Okubo, Sasaki told The Athletic, “Not where I wanna be right now. So I have to keep going forward.”

As the Dodgers navigate three straight losses and prepare to face the Giants on Tuesday, one of their lefty relievers shared his reflection on the loss.

Alex Vesia reflects on his performance

Alex Vesia entered Monday’s game against the San Francisco Giants with the score tied at 3-3. The southpaw opened the inning by striking out Jesus Rodriguez, but things unraveled from there pretty quickly. Vesia gave up three consecutive singles to load the bases and followed it with a walk to Rafael Devers. It broke the tie to give the Giants a one-run lead.

“Got the first guy out, and then three consecutive hits, two of them were middle. So I just need to be better with the fastball,” Vesia reportedly said. “Obviously, I’ve pitched against them a lot, so I need to be better.”

Vesia was pulled just 0.1 innings into the game for Will Klein. But Klein could not stop the damage either. Willy Adames hit a two-run single to take the Giants to 6-3. Reliever Willy Mills gave up three more runs in the top of the ninth.

The Dodgers’ bullpen failed across the board, but Vesia shouldered the blame for the collapse.

“This one was on me tonight,” he said.

This season, Vesia holds a 1-1 record, posting a 3.38 ERA across 13.1 innings.