This wasn’t the spring result anyone expected from 24-year-old right-hander Roki Sasaki. Not even himself.

Heading into camp, the Los Angeles Dodgers went all in on the idea of building up Sasaki back to a full-time starter.

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Remember, Sasaki had himself a back-and-forth first year in the MLB as a starter, making eight starts and recording a 4.46 ERA in 36 1/3 innings. Sasaki later found his sweet spot as a reliever in the 2025 postseason, posting a 0.84 ERA in 10 2/3 innings.

So, with that in mind, the expectations of converting Sasaki back to his primary role after a dominant fall seemed to be a no-brainer, right?

Well, that couldn’t have been farther from what played out this spring as Sasaki had a horrendous showcase in spring in terms of Dodgers pitchers.

In four Cactus League starts, Sasaki posted a 15.58 ERA in 8 2/3 innings. In three of those starts, he had to be pulled in the middle of the inning and later return to finish his outing.

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Though he has showcased some bright spots in his spring tenure, including striking other nine minor leaguers in a “B” Team game, it was overshadowed.

Lack of command, mechanical failures, a flat fastball, and hard contact were just the tip of the iceberg.

He capped off his final spring tune up on Monday against the Los Angeles Angels by going two innings, allowing four earned runs and walking six on 66 pitches.

“If it’s mechanical, if it’s mental, if it’s emotional, all that we’ve got to sift through and find some clarity when he takes the mound. Because at the end of the day, he’s got to get outs,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said following his gruesome start against the Angels.

Roberts doubled down on how Sasaki’s spring unexpectedly played out.

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“I don’t think that you can completely bank on or evaluate spring training or an exhibition game,” Roberts said. “But yeah, it hasn’t been great. It really hasn’t. And we know that.”

“The standard needs to be better,” Roberts continued. “He knows that. We know that. And now, it’s kinda go time, and see how he can perform when the lights come on.”

With everything now underneath the microscope and expanded for all to see, the Dodgers are still banking on their investment in Sasaki as he is slated to be in the Opening Day starting rotation.

That crucial decision to leave Sasaki in the starting rotation may be a blessing in disguise.

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This decision could be looked at as the Dodgers are willing to sit through the growing pains of Sasaki’s development.

It won’t be pretty sight at first. If we are following the trends of Sasaki starting, then this could be a treacherous uphill climb.

If this plan pans out, then it could serve as a conduit for future Japanese stars heading into the MLB. This conduit would be more geared to the pitchers coming in, ones that the Dodgers are able to develop as far as international pitching is concerned at the highest level.

The Dodgers and Roberts do not want to think of any early alternatives at the moment before the start of the reason. They will provide him with a long enough leash because they believe that having Sasaki take down major league innings is what’s right for his career.

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“There’s obviously a big gap between Triple-A and the big leagues,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. “With certain really talented young players that we really believe in, we think that last mile of player development is generally better served at the major-league level.”

Sasaki has reiterated time and time again after his Cactus League starts that his mechanics were not in sync. Ranging from his legs to his arm slot, it’s been a continuous battle of getting it up to par.

The Dodgers surely believe that Sasaki has the tools to be a great starting pitcher in the major leagues. They also believe that all of his past issues could be solved with the decision to leave him in the starting rotation and rack up big-league innings.

Sasaki makes his first start of the season when the Dodgers open up their series against the Cleveland Guardians on March 30.

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All we could do now is wait and see.

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