Dodgers’ Dave Roberts makes Roki Sasaki’s role clear when Blake Snell returns

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell has missed the first few weeks of the season due to an injury. The Dodgers are hopeful that Snell can return sooner rather than later. When Snell returns, what will Roki Sasaki’s role be? Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked that question ahead of Friday’s game against the Texas Rangers.

“Roki, when Blake comes back, Roki will not be in the bullpen,” Roberts said, via Dodger Blue.

Rumors have swirled about whether or not the Dodgers would consider moving Sasaki to the bullpen. The 24-year-old has pitched to a 7.00 ERA across two starts this season. In 2025, he finished the year with a 4.46 ERA in 10 outings.

He has yet to find success as a starting pitcher in MLB. During the 2025 postseason, though, Sasaki pitched to a stellar 0.84 ERA out of the bullpen across nine appearances. Sasaki’s ’25 playoff success has led to many of the questions about a potential bullpen return. The Dodgers are clearly committed to giving him an opportunity to figure things out in the rotation, though.

Los Angeles will have plenty of rotation candidates once Snell returns. Snell, of course, is one of the best pitchers in the entire sport. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Snell are both pitchers who can make Cy Young runs.

The Dodgers still believe in Sasaki despite his struggles. He features the ceiling of a superstar, but the results have yet to display themselves at the big league level. He will look to take a step forward as a starter soon.

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