When Roki Sasaki came to LA, there were huge expectations around him. After a few starts in the majors, Sasaki was sent down to the minors. But there was hope of a bounce back in 2026. But Sasaki has shown nothing that makes the fans happy. And with Sasaki shown on a new mural in LA, the fans are even more unhappy.

Dodgers Nation reported the mural and said, “Robert Vargas’ newest mural, ‘Samurai of the Diamond, ‘ featuring Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki, was just unveiled.” But fans are not happy.

A 12-story mural named “Samurai of the Diamond” was unveiled on a Torrance hotel. Artist Robert Vargas did this painting by his own hand, featuring the 3 Japanese stars on the Dodgers team. This mural in Torrance, where there is a large Japanese population, is able to connect with this mural.

And it also connects them with Ōshū and Bizen, cities in Japan, where Yamamoto and Ohtani come from, and the two cities already have a tie with Torrance.

This mural also included the Japanese youngster Roki Sasaki, who has split the fanbase. When Sasaki first came to LA, the expectations for him were quite high. But in 2025, Sasaki finished the regular season with an ERA of 4.46 across 39.1 innings. His swing and miss rate was also very low at 11.1%, which shows that the batters got bat on ball.

His Dodgers debut at LA was so bad that he got pulled out after just 1.2 innings with 2 runs earned, 3 hits hits and threw 61 pitches. He was seen crying after he got pulled off.

But things did look bright for him when the postseason came. In the postseason, Sasaki was used from the bullpen, and it looked like the Dodgers had unlocked something monstrous. Sasaki, in the postseason, finished with an ERA of 0.84 in 10.2 innings. With that performance and playing a major role in the Dodgers’ winning the World Series, the expectation for the 2026 season rose again.

But it has been nothing but disappointment. He has finished the Spring with an ERA of 15.58 in just 8.2 innings pitched. His outing against the Angels was so bad that he got pulled off after just 30 pitches and didn’t even pitch a full inning.

This has caused the Dodgers fans to ask major questions about Roki Sasaki and if he is going to improve.

Dodgers fans call out Roki Sasaki after a terrible Spring performance

The Dodgers fans are not happy with Roki Sasaki, especially after being added to the same mural as Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. One fan wrote, “They gotta cover that bum up top lmao,” reacting sharply. His spring numbers raise some concern, with 30 pitches yielding multiple walks and no outs recorded. But that frustration ignores October, when Roki Sasaki threw 3 hitless innings against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 4 of the NLDS.

One fan joked, “Shouldn’t Roki be wearing an OKC jersey?” after the mural reveal. It pokes at Roki Sasaki’s early struggles, including a rough Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers stint. Yet pitchers like Max Scherzer had rocky starts before becoming elite frontline aces. Scherzer had a rough start with the Diamondbacks in 2009 when he finished with an ERA of 4.12 and struggled to go deep in games.

One fan fired back, “Toronto has a ring if it wasn’t for Roki, btw. respect him.” That comment backs Roki Sasaki, pointing to his key bullpen role during October games. In Game 3, he escaped a late jam against the Toronto Blue Jays with scoreless innings. Across the postseason, he posted a 0.84 ERA with 3 saves, helping secure the title.

One fan sighed, “Roki couldn’t hit the side of that mural right now. Hoping that changes soon.” That line reflects how nothing seems to click, as even routine innings spiral quickly. In one outing against the Diamondbacks, Roki Sasaki allowed 3 runs in 1.1 innings. Another game saw him walk 6 and allow 5 runs without recording outs cleanly.

One fan bluntly wrote, “Roki does not belong,” questioning his place on that mural. That frustration comes from rough spring outings, where Roki Sasaki struggled with command early. Against the Giants, he issued 4 walks and allowed multiple runs in under 2 innings. Those numbers add to a pattern, with high pitch counts and short outings raising concerns.

Let’s be clear, Roki Sasaki hasn’t been good. But that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have the potential. And the Dodgers and Sasaki need to sit together and find the key to unlocking that. Even if it means another minor league stint.