Roki Sasaki’s Wednesday took quite a turn. Facing the Atlanta Braves, his backward somersault on the mound quickly caught the attention of MLB’s official social media account, while Dodgers Nation also took note of the athletic move and shared posts about it. At that point, fans expected the 24-year-old to deliver another impressive outing, but he suddenly hit a wall in the fourth inning.

After laboring through 3.1 innings, Sasaki allowed four earned runs on six hits and two walks before appearing to become uncomfortable on the mound. Soon after, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and pitching coach Mark Prior came out to check on his right hand. It was a tense moment, with the broadcast cameras capturing Sasaki grimacing in pain and shaking his right hand in the air.

“I actually didn’t feel anything coming beforehand… My skin just ripped off, and after that it kinda got worse,” Roki Sasaki said during a postgame conversation with SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson, speaking through an interpreter. “When I was in Japan, I felt similar things a couple of times… but this time was a different case.”

Meanwhile, the SportsNet commentator also offered a possible explanation on the broadcast, saying:

“Looks like he’s [Roki Sasaki] looking at his hand for a blister. Got a hot spot, maybe on the middle finger; looks like they’re looking at.” 

In the interim, the Dodgers’ bullpen coach was seen on the screen talking on the phone. A minute later, Sasaki left the field. Notably, Los Angeles was leading 3-2 at the time, but eventually, the Braves rallied to win 6-5, handing the Dodgers a double blow at Truist Park. Naturally, the question now is: What happened to Roki Sasaki?

The sudden injury left the skin on Sasaki’s right middle finger completely torn off, resulting in a painful blister. However, this wasn’t the first time the pitcher had dealt with blisters. He experienced similar issues several times while playing in Japan.

A few hours later, Fabian Ardaya, The Athletic’s Dodgers beat reporter, issued an update that Sasaki had been placed on the injured list. Following this, the Dodgers brought Seth Halvorsen up from Triple-A Oklahoma City ahead of the series finale against the Atlanta Braves. It marked the second stint on the major league roster this season for the 26-year-old, who previously appeared for Los Angeles on Aug. 10.

Dave Roberts explained that the move was made to add depth to the bullpen, with several relievers unavailable at the time. The Dodgers manager also indicated that Halvorsen was likely to get another opportunity with the big-league club before the season came to an end.

Halvorsen joined the Dodgers organization on July 20 after Los Angeles acquired him in a trade with the Colorado Rockies. He was initially assigned to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he continued his rehab assignment while also working with the organization to make mechanical adjustments.

In 21 appearances for Colorado this season, the 26-year-old posted a 4.74 ERA, 5.73 FIP and 1.95 WHIP. He struck out 17.7% of the batters he faced while issuing walks to 15.6% of them.

With Sasaki now sidelined, the Dodgers face another challenge as they look to regroup and keep their season on track.

After Roki Sasaki’s exit, the Dodgers are in a tight position 

The Dodgers found it hard to believe that Roki Sasaki could have developed a blister so suddenly. The pitcher himself brought up how unexpected it was several times during his postgame conversation with SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson.

When asked about his potential return, Sasaki told the interpreter that the timeline would depend on the trainer and pitching coach. Even Dave Roberts echoed the same sentiment, saying:

“He was on a good run. So now, unfortunately, it’s going to be a minimum two weeks.”

With Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow already back from the injured list, Shohei Ohtani potentially returning to the mound as early as Sunday, and Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto locked into the rotation, Sasaki could struggle to find a starting spot when October arrives.

That would be a significant setback for the 24-year-old, whose main goal in joining the Dodgers was to develop within an elite organization and eventually become the best pitcher in the world.

For now, though, his priority is getting healthy, and fans will be eagerly waiting to see him back on the mound.