Why Los Angeles Dodgers Should Consider Bullpen Role for Roki Sasaki

Roki Sasaki made his 2026 debut against the Guardians on Monday night, and it was a solid season debut for the 24-year-old. It was a positive step forward for Sasaki, who had struggled mightily in Spring Training. He’s constantly been tweaking his mechanics and pitch mix, and seeing a decent amount of success against Cleveland was a positive sign.

On the other side of things, the Cleveland offense isn’t known for being world beaters, and was one of the worst in the sport last year. New additions Chase DeLauter and Rhys Hoskins have been positive additions, but the offense is still similar to last year’s. Sasaki went only four innings, walked two, but allowed only one run, so it was a mixed bag of results for him.

The Dodgers seemed pleased with Sasaki’s start, but I wasn’t as impressed. He was able to handle a bad Cleveland lineup, but still struggled to get guys out. He had to use a ton of pitches and was constantly in 5+ pitch ABs. His new cutter seemed like it could be a solid third offering for him, but I just don’t have a lot of faith in him as a long-term starter.

Should Sasaki be a bullpen arm?

Unlike most of the Dodgers’ roster, Sasaki isn’t signed to a massive long-term contract. He’s under a standard rookie deal, so I’m not sure you need him to be a starter. It’s not like the Dodgers are struggling to find starting pitching either; you don’t need Sasaki as a starter, and I’m not really sure he will be one long-term.

I don’t see a pitcher with a limited three-pitch mix and bad zone control lasting long term in a rotation. Sasaki has seemed to come with a little bit of drama, and I’m sure he would fight a move to the bullpen, but I think he could be an elite closer or setup man.

The limited pitch mix works so much better out of the bullpen. We saw 10.2 innings out of the pen in the postseason from Sasaki, and he looked untouchable. He felt far less picky with his fastball, and when you can throw 100 mph, it doesn’t have to be placed perfectly. I think Sasaki overthinks his mechanics and game plan as a starter, whereas he lets it loose in the bullpen.

Maybe Monday was the start of Sasaki turning the page as an elite starter, but I’m not buying it. If he’s willing to be a reliever, he could stay in baseball for a very long time.