The Dodgers might have punched their ticket to the postseason for the 13th straight year. And they’re well on their way to locking up the division title, too. But behind all the success, there’s one glaring problem. Their bullpen. While the rotation is finally coming together with Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Shohei Ohtani getting back on the mound, the relief corps hasn’t followed suit.

The Dodger bullpen has been a major weak spot as their 5.23 ERA is the 25th-worst in the league. And that’s the key reason behind Dave Roberts just pulling the trigger on a bold move, one that could solve two problems at once. The answer? Roki Sasaki!

As per MLB insider Bob Nightengale, “Roki Sasaki will be activated tomorrow. He will take a role in the bullpen and hasn’t pitched for the Dodgers since May 9th.” 

The Japanese rookie who stirred the entire league on his arrival and was projected as one of the top starters for the Dodgers is now taking the relief role. Demotion or changed requirement?

Probably, both!

Sasaki’s MLB debut didn’t exactly go as planned. He struggled in his first few outings, getting pulled early, and by mid-May, he was sitting on a 4.72 ERA across eight starts before landing on the injured list with a shoulder impingement. And after three months off, he came back with Triple-A Oklahoma City, but the results were shaky. Reportedly, he has incurred 14 runs in 18.2 innings since mid-August!

However, in his last two appearances in the minors, Sasaki was placed in the bullpen. There, he threw back-to-back scoreless frames. Thus, sparking speculation that the team could slot him into the bullpen for the playoffs. And now that it’s a reality, this makes sense, too, because the rotation is already stacked with Snell, Glasnow, Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, leaving no room for Sasaki as a starter.

Meanwhile, with relievers like Kirby Yates (5.23 ERA) and Tanner Scott (4.64 ERA) struggling, shifting Sasaki to the bullpen could be exactly what the Dodgers need. His 100-mph fastball and wipeout splitter might come in handy in the postseason.

The Dodgers’ bullpen might see some more starters

Roki Sasaki is not the only one, and perhaps not the last starter, who will pitch from the bullpen for the Dodgers in the postseason. The next in line might be the veteran Clayton Kershaw.

“I think our rotation … it’s the best in the league right now,” Kershaw pointed out. “So I can do the math. I know there’s only so many spots.”

Kershaw was honest in acknowledging that with Yamamoto, Snell, and Ohtani all pitching so well, there’s no guarantee he’ll get a start in the playoffs during his final MLB season. However, his bullpen opportunity could be one last run to turn around his otherwise disappointing postseason numbers. His playoff ERA sits at 4.49, quite a bit higher than his 2.54 career regular-season mark!

But the story doesn’t stop at Sasaki or Kershaw. Rumors are that Ohtani might also see time in the bullpen. The idea of him pitching in relief has been floating around for weeks, with pitching coach Mark Prior saying last month that he could “absolutely” see it happening.

Meanwhile, Dave Roberts has also echoed that the conversation is still open as the regular season winds down. So as the postseason approaches, the Dodgers’ bullpen is shaping up to be the main attraction. Maybe even more intriguing than the rotation itself.