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The Los Angeles Dodgers still haven't figured out how to fix Roki Sasaki.
The much-hyped Japanese starter struggled at the start of last season and only made a major contribution to the season when he moved to the bullpen for the playoffs.
This year, folks hoped it would be different. Sasaki would be more adjusted to MLB and would hit his stride.
Instead, he's struggling immensely.
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Right now, the Dodgers are heading toward having to make a tough decision with Sasaki to try and maximize whatever his future might hold.
"Sasaki has been wild and hittable, leading to an unsightly 1.809 WHIP. He has allowed 13 walks, 28 hits and seven home runs in just 22⅔ innings," ESPN's David Schoenfield wrote in a new article on Tuesday in which he called Sasaki this season's most disappointing starting pitcher so far. "The splitter can still be an effective wipeout pitch, but the problem is getting to it in a strikeout count: Though Sasaki throws plenty hard, averaging 97 mph on his fastball, it's straight and doesn't miss bats. Batters are 17-for-43 (.395) with five home runs against it. He's in the rotation for now, and he needs the innings to work on his repertoire, but maybe those innings need to come in Triple-A."
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The good news for the Dodgers is they're winning plenty of games despite Sasaki's struggles. That means they probably aren't in a huge rush to do anything drastic.
If he can find his groove by the second half of the season, all of this will be forgotten.
The key for the Dodgers is figuring out the best way to help Saski right the ship. Is that Triple-A? Is it the bullpen? Is it just putting his head down and pitching through the struggle?
If the Dodgers get this right, they can be even more fearsome, but for the moment, it's still a problem needing a solution.
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