Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki says latest shoulder injury isn’t as bad as it was last year in Japan

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Roki Sasaki’s shoulder issue isn’t as bad as it was last year, the touted Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher says, but it bothered him in his last two outings before he went on the injured list.

The 23-year-old rookie from Japan has been shut down from throwing indefinitely because of right shoulder impingement.

“Last year I did have something similar but actually worse, and that was something that I was able to overcome and still perform,” Sasaki said Wednesday through an interpreter. “It’s something that I somewhat feel but not to the extent that I felt from before.”

He missed time last year with shoulder fatigue that limited him to 18 starts and 111 innings with the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Nippon Professional Baseball League.

Sasaki is 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA in eight starts with the Dodgers. He has 24 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .225 average.

“Right now, I’m not throwing so it’s hard to tell how my shoulder feels,” he said.

Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Sasaki told the team his arm was sore after his last start, in which he pitched on five days’ rest for the first time in the majors. He threw four innings and gave up five runs on 61 pitches Friday at Arizona.

But Sasaki clarified that his shoulder was bothering him two starts ago.

“Not necessarily like pain, but it was just not the ideal way that I want my shoulders to move,” he said. “The last two outings hasn’t been up to par to where I wanted to be.”

However, given the team’s current spate of pitching injuries, Sasaki was determined to press on and didn’t initially say anything about his shoulder.

“I wanted to really help the team in any way, shape, and form,” he said.

Sasaki was known for throwing 100 mph in Japan, and in his major league debut against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo in March he repeatedly reached 99 mph in the first inning.

But he’s struggled to find that same zip on his fastball since, with his velocity dipping to the mid-90s.

“It’s hard to tell if it’s the main reason why my velo and command was affected,” he said.

Once he can throw again, Sasaki plans to use his time to work through his early struggles with command and velocity.

“I want to make sure that I’m fully healthy and be able to address anything that I had so that it leads to better performance,” he said.

Sasaki couldn’t explain what caused his shoulder issues last year and now.

“There’s nothing per se that I could say it’s for certain, but it is a really good time for me to make sure that I can get to the bottom of it,” he said.

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