After winning the World Series in back-to-back seasons, the Los Angeles Dodgers are riding high. Dave Roberts is aiming for a three-peat of their win-it-all season. However, one important piece from last year’s World Series-winning team is having a hard time finding his best form. For a pitcher who once shattered strikeout records in Japan, Roki Sasaki’s biggest opponent in the majors isn’t the batter—it’s a conflict between his own instincts and the Dodgers’ contradictory demands.

The Dodgers signed Sasaki in 2025 as an international free agent to a minor league deal with a $6.5 million signing bonus. Sasaki had a rough MLB debut season, struggling with a shoulder injury that was followed by control and velocity issues. For this season, Sasaki has one clear goal: improvement. In a conversation with a Japanese weekly, Sasaki spoke candidly about his pitching problems and what he needs to improve.

During his visit for an inspection at the end of February, former Giants ace Masumi Kuwata advised, “Don’t increase your pitch types too much; focus on your fastball and forkball,” and “Be conscious of how you use your left hand after your delivery,” Sasaki revealed the former player’s advice to Shukan Bunshun.

Before coming to the MLB, Sasaki had a very successful NPB career. He holds the league record for most strikeouts in a single game (19) and the world record for the most consecutive strikeouts (13). He came to the Dodgers with a 2.10 career ERA but has failed to find his footing in the MLB.

Last season, he pitched 36.1 innings in 10 games with a 4.46 ERA and 28 strikeouts. However, there were signs of him getting back to his best in October. The Dodgers shifted him to the bullpen for the playoffs. Sasaki finished with an ERA of 0.84 in 10.2 innings in the postseason and helped the Dodgers clinch the World Series. Due to those performances, the expectations for him for the 2026 season rose.

But the Spring wasn’t kind to Sasaki; he struggled with his command-and-control issues. He gave up 15 walks, 15 runs, and 15 earned runs with a 15.58 ERA in 8.2 innings.

Despite his struggles, Sasaki will start the year as the Dodgers’ fourth starter. Blake Snell is unavailable owing to his shoulder injury, and River Ryan, one of their top pitching prospects, has been optioned to Triple-A. Ryan underwent Tommy John surgery in 2024, which cost him the whole of the 2025 season. Despite having a phenomenal 2026 Spring Training, where he posted a 1.86 ERA over 9.2 innings, he was optioned.

The Dodgers might be playing a long game with Ryan, slowly and safely building his arm strength without the pressure of a three-peat looming over him. That leaves Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Ohtani, Sasaki, and Emmet Sheehan to form their Opening Day rotation.

According to Shukan Bunshun, Sasaki, too, had agreed to former Giants’ Masumi Kuwata’s advice. He wants to hone his forkball and fastball skills and get better results.

“I was already thinking the same thing about basing it on the forkball and straight fastball. I’m not the dexterous type to begin with, so my top priority is to polish those two first. If I’m still getting hit even then, I’ll have to make changes,” remarked Sasaki to Shukan Bunshun.

Sasaki has been consistently suffering from command issues, struggling to locate his pitches, resulting in a high number of walks. He revealed to MLB.com that throwing his sinker has also caused a decline in his command.

Furthermore, he has reportedly cited a disconnect between his upper and lower body that influenced his mechanics. Last September, when his velocity declined, a lower-body adjustment helped Sasaki bring his velocity back up.

Sasaki believes he is not “dexterous” and would only make changes if his fastball and forkball do not work out. But the Dodgers’ manager, Dave Roberts, has a contradictory expectation from him as a big-league pitcher.

Dave Roberts’ expectations from Sasaki

In the Nippon Professional League, Sasaki has dominated his opponents with primarily two pitches in his arsenal, the 100mph fastball and his forkball. But his arsenal has struggled to get the desired result in the MLB scenario.

After his shoulder injury in 2025, Sasaki had a brief showing of his potential in the postseason. During the playoffs, the Dodgers placed him in the bullpen, reportedly on the condition that he gets the starter role in the following season.

As a closer, Sasaki excelled for the Dodgers. However, manager Roberts made his expectations for Sasaki clear in January this year. To continue as a starter in the MLB, Sasaki must have a third pitch in his arsenal.

“He needs to develop a third pitch. It’s going to need to be something that goes left,” Roberts had said to the New York Post.

During the 2025 season, Sasaki was able to recover his fastball velocity during his rehab in the minor leagues. His average fastball increased by 4.2 mph between the minor league starts. This also justified the team’s decision to use him out of the bullpen for the World Series.

As the 2026 season begins, Sasaki and the team would look to maintain his mechanics and also try to add a third pitch for him to succeed in the rotation.