Dodgers Make Roki Sasaki Decision After Star Pitcher’s Elbow Surgery Setback

The Los Angeles Dodgers put a two-game losing streak behind them with a win against the Colorado Rockies on Monday, wrapping that four-game series up in a tie as they prepare to take on the division rival San Francisco Giants.

But the win was preceded by a significant loss, as the team announced that All-Star closer Edwin Diaz would be undergoing elbow surgery with a long timeline for recovery.

“Los Angeles Dodgers closer Edwin Diaz is scheduled to undergo surgery Wednesday to remove loose bodies in his right elbow, the team announced,” per ESPN. “The expectation is that the reliever could sit out around three months.”

The Dodgers have been able to stay afloat despite less-than-expected results from Diaz in his debut with the team so far this year. He has a 10.50 ERA in seven games going into the surgery and it seems like the surgery could address a noted downtick in velocity he has seen this season.

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But it also raises a question for the defending World Series champions, as Diaz was the clear-cut option to close out games. He leads the team with four saves so far this season, while Alex Vesia is the only other player to record any so far, with two.

So, as the team now faces the need for a defined closer replacement, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the front office was asked if it would move Roki Sasaki to the bullpen.

In his sophomore campaign with the Dodgers, Sasaki has a 6.11 ERA and now wins in his first four starts. In the midst of similar struggles last year, the Dodgers ended up moving him into the bullpen for the playoffs and he seemed to perform much better.

“The former star reliever has become their most embattled starter and one who has made the season’s first big move seem inevitable,” Bill Plaschke wrote for the Los Angeles Times. “They’ve got to put him back to where he found his greatest success, where his lack of a variety of pitches will not hurt him, where he can throw 100 mph for 20 pitches and save the team with his strength.”

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But even though the case for moving Sasaki back to the bullpen seems pretty clear cut, particularly after Diaz’s elbow surgery setback, the Dodgers seem committed to giving him an extended opportunity to find his groove as a starter.

“Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes had a short answer when asked if Roki Sasaki might return to the closer role during Diaz’s absence: ‘No,’” The Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett reported on Monday.

If the team can effectively replace Diaz with Vesia or another bullpen option for the time being, it seems like Sasaki will continue to start games.