Dodgers Blake Snell near return signals much-needed change for struggling Roki Sasaki originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers are getting close to having their starting rotation back at full strength. The Dodgers have been without Blake Snell for the entirety of the season, but his return now appears imminent.

Snell is nearing the end of his rehab assignment and is close to rejoining the Dodgers full time.

“Blake Snell will make his final rehab assignment with the Ontario Tower Buzzers this Saturday. It marks his 4th rehab start,” Dodgers beat writer Adrian Medina posted.

Roki Sasaki faces a harsh reality

With Snell expected to return to the roster within the next week, a roster move could soon follow for second-year pitcher Roki Sasaki. The start of the season has not been kind to the young right-hander.

Sasaki currently owns an ERA near 6.00 along with a 1-3 record. He has experienced many of the same struggles that led to him spending significant time in Triple-A last season. Sasaki only earned a postseason role in 2025 because of his ability to step up as a reliever late in the year.

“While some fans are being way too harsh on Sasaki, it’s undeniably troublesome to see the right-hander getting off to another rough start. In 2025, Sasaki’s rookie season, his struggles out of the gate were such that he was ultimately removed from the Dodgers’ pitching plan entirely. Injuries played a role in this, but Sasaki’s temperament was also called into question,” Dodgers Way’s Colin Keane wrote.

Adding Snell back into the rotation reduces the number of available starting spots, and Sasaki simply has not outperformed left-hander Justin Wrobleski, who remains undefeated this season.

A demotion for Sasaki would not necessarily mean a return to Triple-A. Instead, the Dodgers could move him back into a bullpen role, where he thrived during stretches last season.

Once Snell returns, the rotation could feature Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Emmet Sheehan, Wrobleski, and Snell. The Dodgers are not giving up on Sasaki, which is why a bullpen move feels like the most likely scenario rather than a full demotion.

As Los Angeles continues to get healthier, difficult roster decisions are inevitable. The Dodgers likely did not expect Sasaki to struggle enough to warrant a move out of the rotation, but given his continued issues as a starter, a reset in the bullpen would make plenty of sense.

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