"Sasaki is a candidate to release the Dodgers." Roberts also said bitterly... I was in shock

*This content was translated by AI.

Loki Sasaki (25, LA Dodgers) is already predicting a tough time ahead of the season.

On the 6th, Japanese media Tokyo Sports introduced an article by the U.S. media that said, "It is a shocking report on Roki Sasaki, who is wandering," and that "he is falling into an out-of-power candidate."

Tokyo Sports pointed out Sasaki's poor performance, saying, "The Dodgers' Sasaki, which is in its second year in the Major League, is having a spring of anguish."

Sasaki started an exhibition game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on the 26th of last month and threw 27 pitches in one ⅓ inning, sluggish with three hits, two walks, three strikeouts and three runs.

He chose to mix the ball himself, but the result was disappointing, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said to him, "To be honest, today is the first time I thought he was out of his mechanism," adding, "He throws too many fastball." I think the important thing is to make the splitter the core of the pitch."

The second appearance was also no different. He started the exhibition game against the Cleveland Guardians on the 4th, but he started with a straight walk, failed to catch a single out count, hit a double, a walk, and a grand slam, and when he allowed a walk even after Lusang was empty, Roberts took the mound himself and ordered a replacement.

Fortunately, I was given another chance. In the MLB exhibition game, the pitcher's return is possible, but Sasaki took the mound again in the second inning and ended two consecutive innings with three outs to avoid the worst.

However, his performance in the exhibition game became 18.90 ERA with one win and no loss in two games and three ⅓ innings. Unlike the season, it is important to find and supplement content or problems rather than results, but if you look at the first two games, there was no proper income.

What Tokyo Sports paid attention to is an article by local media Fanside. Fansaid said: "Toronto has escaped the crisis thanks to Sasaki's recent slump. Finally, a free agent (FA) player who would be happy that the Blue Jays lost to the Dodgers (in the recruitment competition) appeared," he said, adding that Toronto, which had been pushed back in the recruitment of Shohei Ohtani, was lost to Sasaki, but his poor performance could ease the disappointment.

Fansaid also said, "Sasaki, 24, has plenty of time to explore his future career, but the Dodgers may not. Considering his expectations and experience in Japan, he should be much more grown than he is now, he said. "The question that Dodgers can face is how quickly Sasaki will run out of time to stay on the major league roster."

I even made a claim that could be a bit extreme "Now that we are not ready for the Major League, exercising the minor league option could put the Dodgers at a disadvantage in managing him," he said. "After waking up, he is a candidate for DFA (nominated assignment, de facto release) without success even though he is in his second year of career."

Tokyo Sports expressed concern over this, saying, "It is a harsh criticism as expectations are high, but Sasaki has no choice but to calm down these external voices with her skills."

Sasaki, who throws a fearsome fastball up to 165 kilometers per hour and a nightmarish forkball to the point where he is called a "ghost fork," asked Chiba Lotte Marines after the 2024 season to achieve his dream of entering the U.S. The club actually had to give up a large amount of money because they had to post under an amateur contract, but Sasaki insisted, and the club decided to release Sasaki, who had not been actively utilized due to frequent injuries.

It was a dream stage to advance to that stage, but Sasaki played 36 ⅓ innings in just 10 games last year, suffering from injuries and sluggishness, with a 1-1 record and 4.46 ERA. The Dodgers did not allow Sasaki to play in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) due to concerns about his physical condition, but they are raising concerns due to a series of poor performances in exhibition games.

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*This content was translated by AI.