It was an epic sweepstakes for Roki Sasaki where the Dodgers had the last laugh, landing him over the Padres and Blue Jays. Since then, speculations have been rife about when Sasaki will make his MLB debut. Well, the Japanese phenom ultimately made it yesterday at game 2 of the Tokyo Series. However, now that the regular season is around the corner, will the Dodgers risk fielding an international amateur to start? Sasaki, although in the starting rotation in the Tokyo Series, still has more to go before playing at his full potential.

Well, in the Tokyo Series, Sasaki didn’t have the best start, but the Dodgers did not need to push him past the 56 pitches he threw—25 of which were for strikes. He was leading at 3-1 comfortably when he ended the game. In contrast to his MLB debut, the Dodgers are confident in Sasaki’s abilities, but they also understand that he is not yet complete and that there may be some setbacks when he makes the move to the Major League. This made the insiders comment about Sasaki being a long-term project for the Dodgers, rather than being a ready-made prospect.

“Dodgers see him as a project, they see him as a guy that is not going to be a finished product right away. Someone who is going to develop as the season goes on and his career goes on,” MLB insider Ken Rosenthal said in his podcast with Foul Territory. So yes, Sasaki is still half-baked, and it will take some time to develop him as a finished product, however, the Dodgers are betting on him as a future asset.

For now, Sasaki will stay behind their famous starting rotation and might not be seen to start soon. Is the Dodgers’ starting rotation able enough to get without Sasaki? 

The Dodgers’ formidable six-man starting rotation sans Sasaki

A lot of talking is going on regarding the six-man rotation of the Dodgers this season. As per the latest update, they are going to field a five-man rotation till Shohei Ohtani joins as the sixth starter. The main reason behind the Dodgers not being in a hurry with Roki Sasaki is also their starting rotation. This includes Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, and Clayton Kershaw.

While Snell, Yamamoto, Glasnow, and Kershaw are confirmed in the rotation, contention for the fifth spot is between May and Gonsolin. Once Ohtani returns to the mound by May, the Dodgers will have two pitchers with a projected 150+ strikeouts this year—Ohtani and Yamomoto. Moreover, Snell is the 2023 Cy Young Award winner, and Glasnow is the All-Star awardee from 2024. This spring, Snell, Yamamoto, and Glasnow together pilled up 30 strikeouts from 4 games—that’s what makes the Dodgers one of the most formidable starting rotations this year.

So, why risk a half-baked Sasaki with having this rotation? However, an injury to the starting rotation can shuffle things up and make Sasaki back to the major league mound this year. The Dodgers are all in a comfortable position with Roki Sasaki, projected to yield better results in the long run. Do you think Sasaki should start in the regular season? Let us know in the comments below.