Going against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Roki Sasaki had his first outing of Spring Training 2026 on Wednesday. It was not a good outing for the Japanese pitcher, who threw 27 pitches, gave up three earned runs and three hits, and had two strikeouts with a walk. But moving ahead, performances like this won’t cut it, as Dave Roberts has already set the bar.

“He has to be open and understand that if he wants to be as great as a starting pitcher in the big leagues, that third pitch is important… We’re expecting him to be good, he’s expecting to be good, and to continue to get better,” USA Sports quoted the Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

Apparently, after Sasaki’s dominant run out of the bullpen in the 2025 postseason, expectations were high. He turned into the team’s most reliable late-inning arm, and he posted an impressive 0.84 ERA. That was a massive turnaround from his 4.46 ERA days as a starter.

But this spring hasn’t exactly inspired confidence.

Last year, Sasaki ended up throwing just 36.2 innings for the Dodgers. He also spent nearly four months down in the minors while dealing with a shoulder impingement.

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When Sasaki became healthy, he gained enough traction out of his relief role last year that fans naturally hoped he would lock down a spot in the 2026 starting rotation.

But Sasaki struggled badly against the Diamondbacks. He gave up three runs on three hits and two walks in just 1⅓ innings. And on top of that, his pitch mix looked pretty thin. Although he flashed the fastball and splitter, the other offerings just weren’t there.

So, Roberts has been clear about it. If Sasaki wants to stick in the rotation, he needs to reliably command at least three pitches. Yes, he tried mixing in a few sliders, but those didn’t do much to help his case either.

With Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow already locking down four spots in the six-man rotation, there are only two openings left. Sasaki is fighting for one of them alongside Gavin Stone, River Ryan, and Emmet Sheehan. So, if he can’t show enough as a starter, the Dodgers could decide he’s better off staying in the bullpen.

And yes, if things really go sideways, even a trade might come into the conversation!

Trading rumors are gaining traction around Roki Sasaki

Roki Sasaki getting traded from the Dodgers would have sounded like a dream a few months ago, but currently, the rumors are here to stay.

For instance, as per Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer, Sasaki could be a potential trade chip for the Dodgers in exchange for Tarik Skubal. If you remember, the Dodgers were vying for Skubal all offseason.

So, the trade prediction offers a package of Sasaki, along with No. 2 prospect Zyhir Hope and No. 6 prospect Jackson Ferris, to Detroit for Skubal.

Then, as per FanSided’s Christopher Kline, the Dodgers could also offer Sasaki in exchange for the Reds’ Hunter Greene. Again, Greene is rumored to be with the Dodgers for a good time now, and landing him could cost Sasaki!

However, let’s be clear. These are all rumors and nothing concrete from the Dodgers front office. Still, with Sasaki long struggling to get into his rhythm, we might not be surprised to see him donning a different jersey.