“What happened was the Dodgers’ belief in the recovering health of their bullpen. And, um, yeah, unless you want to bring Bobby Miller up from Oklahoma City to close games (not a bad idea, eh?), it’s not getting fixed anytime soon,” Los Angeles Times’ Bill Plaschke wrote.
The bullpen has faced some costly injuries recently, including the big addition from the trade deadline, Brock Stewart.
“The Los Angeles Dodgers are placing right-hander Brock Stewart on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Stewart has only made four appearances for LA, allowing two runs in 3.2 innings thus far,” SI’s Gabe Smallson wrote.
While the bullpen works on getting healthy, one of the Dodgers’ starters is also sidelined. Roki Sasaki hasn’t pitched since May.
“Sasaki landed on the injured list May 13 with right shoulder impingement and was transferred to the 60-day IL in June. He had a rough time in MLB before his injury, posting a 4.72 ERA through 34.1 innings pitched with 24 strikeouts,” SI’s Aaron Coloma wrote.
Sasaki was a major free-agent signing for the Dodgers. However, a mental block could keep him from pitching for the Dodgers this season.
“There’s always a mental component when you’re hurt,” pitching coach Mark Prior said. “and you’re always wondering, ‘Am I going to feel something at that moment?’ … There is a little bit of a mental barrier that they all need to get through.”
Sasaki has loads of potential, or the Dodgers wouldn’t have signed him. However, if he can’t get out of his own head and return to form after the injury, he may never get the call back up. The Dodgers need to enter the postseason healthy, but it is ultimately up to Sasaki if he wants to get that call.
