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GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 16: Roki Sasaki #11 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on prior to a Spring Training game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Camelback Ranch on March 16, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)
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One benefit of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ relentless talent acquisitions in recent seasons is that Spring Training is relatively free of positional battles or roster drama.
Incumbent stars like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have their positions for next season locked in. And the team has a number of frontline starters and experienced relief arms ready to resume their roles from last season as well.
But despite the excess of veteran talent, the team has faced some turmoil when it comes to Roki Sasaki, even as manager Dave Roberts’ attempts to put the questions surrounding his role to rest.
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Los Angeles Dodgers Fans Boo Roki Sasaki As Struggles Endure
As Sasaki has struggled to a 15.58 ERA in Spring Training, Roberts has maintained that he will still be given a spot in the rotation once the season starts.
“Sasaki’s performance is a pressing concern for the rotation. With Blake Snell and Gavin Stone starting the year on the injured list, the defending champions are counting on Sasaki to anchor the middle of a staff already missing veteran depth,” Courtney Hamilton wrote for MLB.com. “Roberts acknowledged the inconsistency but maintained that the team is committed to giving him a runway to find his rhythm.”
However, Sasaki seemed to hit a new low in his final preseason start.
“Dodgers fans booed Sasaki in the first inning Monday when he walked the Angels’ Jorge Soler with the bases loaded. Then he walked the next batter, Yoán Moncada, prompting manager Dave Roberts to temporarily pull Sasaki,” Maddie Lee wrote for the Los Angeles Times. “Sasaki had issued free passes to four of the five batters he faced.”
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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Roki Sasaki Sends 4-Word Demotion Message After Boos
Even amid Roberts’ consistent promises that Sasaki would enjoy a big-league rotation spot to open next season, the hostility from fans once again raised the possibility that he could be demoted to the minor leagues or perhaps back to the bullpen, where he finished his debut season with the Dodgers last year.
When asked about whether or not he’d be open to a move to the minor leagues, the pitcher seemed to acknowledge that he would be open to it if the Dodgers thought it would be beneficial for him.
“I think that’s fine,” Sasaki said through a translator, according to the New York Post’s Dylan Hernandez.
Even after fans openly turned on Sasaki, though, it seems he will get a chance to return to the Dodgers rotation. But if his struggles continue, a move to the minor leagues could be next, and the pitcher seems aware that a drastic solution might be called for if his struggles continue.
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