Just about two years ago, one of the most highly touted prospects linked to MLB was Roki Sasaki, and now his development with the Los Angeles Dodgers has been interesting, to say the least. Earlier, he struggled with the command of his pitches, but over time he has more or less fixed that. Now, however, another issue has emerged. Against the Padres, he imploded over three innings, prompting the Dodgers to dig deeper into his outing, and his manager spoke plainly about the team’s next steps.

“We’ll probably look at everything,” manager Dave Roberts said, per the New York Post.

Sasaki faced the San Diego Padres in consecutive starts, a challenging adjustment for the already struggling pitcher. During his 88-pitch outing, the Friars battered Sasaki with three homers, including a four-run second inning.

The 24-year-old contained the damage to two runs in the first inning with a homer from Manny Machado. In the second inning, the Padres quickly increased the lead by one more run following Jackson Merrill’s solo shot. Two outs later, Sasaki walked Fernando Tatis Jr. to load first and third. Jake Cronenworth launched a three-run home run to put the Dodgers in a deeper hole, making them trail 6-0.

But the defending World Series champions know how to make a comeback, as they recorded one by winning the game 12-7. The Dodgers’ bullpen delivered what Sasaki could not. By the end of three innings, he surrendered 6 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks. Furthermore, all the hits Sasaki allowed were extra-base hits. His control issues were for all to see, as he also struggled to get a feel for the zone. The Padres’ lineup absolutely crushed the pitches he threw down the middle.

After a strong May, Sasaki has been struggling again since late June. On Thursday, his pitches never once touched the 100 mph mark, averaging below 98 mph, marking a noticeable drop in the velocity of his fastball.

Amid the already existing concerns surrounding Sasaki’s starts and his team investigating all the mistakes, the possibility of pitch tipping emerged as another issue.

“They were on everything Roki threw,” Roberts said. “You could see it. Everything. And so we’re going to do a little dive. I don’t know if he was tipping his pitches, but they were on everything. So we’re going to look at that.”

Roberts was asked if pitch tipping is a better alternative at the moment, all things considered; the manager responded in the affirmative. However, Dalton Rushing, who was behind the plate during Sasaki’s outing, does not think that is the case.

“Nothing that I picked up on too much,” Rushing explained. “I didn’t see too much movement from them at second base, although again, I’m just trying to get him in the zone and let his stuff play to the best of his ability. I think it’s something we can go back and look at tomorrow, moving forward. That would be a big explanation as to how it felt like they were on every pitch.”

So what does this mean for Roki Sasaki’s position on the team?

Manager Roberts explained that Sasaki’s position on the rotation will remain the same for now. He will take his turn in the rotation at the next scheduled start, but the clock is ticking for the Japanese pitcher. Once Blake Snell or Tyler Glasnow returns to the team, Sasaki might no longer get a start every sixth or seventh day.

The Dodgers have given Sasaki the last few months to reach his full potential, despite his struggles on the mound. But they may not want to carry the liability anymore. So Sasaki does not have much time to prove himself worthy of October baseball.

Roki Sasaki acknowledges pitching troubles

Roki Sasaki has taken the first step toward improvement. He has acknowledged his mistakes on the mound.

“I think the poor quality of pitches I threw was also a factor,” Sasaki said, per the New York Post, while acknowledging a potential chance of pitch tipping.

The Padres took full advantage of Sasaki’s dip in fastball velocity, forcing the Japanese to rely on his off-speed pitches. It did little to alleviate the problem, as the Padres continued hitting. The increased rate of hard contact and lack of swing and miss plagued the Japanese.

According to Sasaki, “What stood out was the hard contact.”

In his last four starts, Sasaki allowed 19 runs on 21 hits and 7 home runs. After Thursday, his ERA has spiked to 5.40.

So, what can Sasaki do? According to Rushing, a mindset change might help Roki get back to where he was in May.