Dodgers Notes: Sasaki, Davalan

Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki made some progress in 2026 but wants to keep pushing next year. Per Dylan Hernandez of The New York Post, he wants to continue working as a starter and find enough success to be part of a playoff rotation. “In the playoffs, I think the team winning is prioritized more than anything,” Sasaki said. “I think that if I pitch well in the regular season, I should be able to throw (in the postseason). If I can’t do that, I think it would just mean I’m not good enough.” Sasaki is two years into his big league career now. In both seasons, he was in the rotation mix during the regular season but got pushed into a bullpen role in the postseason. In both campaigns, his earned run average was a bit underwhelming, going from 4.46 last year to 4.49 in 2026. But the details around the ERA were more encouraging in 2026. For one thing, the workload was far greater. A shoulder impingement put him on the injured list for most of 2025, limiting him to just 36 1/3 innings in the majors. In that time, his 17.4% strikeout rate, 13.7% walk rate and 38.9% ground ball rate were all worse than league average. In 2026, he did miss some time with a blister but cranked his innings tally up to 122 1/3. His 23.6% strikeout rate, 9.2% walk rate and 42.2% ground ball rate were all around average. He also seemed to get better as the season went along. In the second half, he posted a 2.83 ERA in 41 1/3 innings, with a 25.3% strikeout rate and 8.8% walk rate. The challenge will be in putting up numbers like that consistently and over a full season. As of now, Sasaki projects to be in next year’s rotation. The Dodgers may lose Tarik Skubal to free agency. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow will be back and have three spots accounted for. Shohei Ohtani will be in there at some points but it’s unclear how the Dodgers want to tackle his workload after injuries hampered him in 2026. Sasaki would either be fourth or fifth on the chart, depending on Ohtani’s status. Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski, Ben Casparius and others are also in the mix. The offseason could change things. The Dodgers will presumably try to re-sign Skubal. Even if they let him sign elsewhere, there are other free agents and there are arms on the trade block as well. But even if the rotation picture gets more crowded, injuries are inevitable and Sasaki will get chances. What remains to be seen is if he can find another gear. He had a 2.10 ERA in his time in Japan, which led to a lot of hype before he came to the Dodgers. He hasn’t lived up to that yet but is still young, turning 25 next month. If he can start looking like the ace he was expected to be, he would certainly be able to earn some playoff starts. Yamamoto, Glasnow and Snell will be tough to pass on the chart but injuries happen and neither Glasnow nor Snell has a great track record in the health department. Elsewhere, Hernandez notes in a separate column that outfield prospect Charles Davalan is getting work at second base in the Arizona Fall League. In affiliated ball, he has only played the outfield, but the extra versatility could help him crack the major league roster. Baseball America currently lists Davalan as the Dodgers’ #7 prospect. Josue De Paula, Eduardo Quintero and Mike Sirota are in the top three slots and are also outfielders. At the big league level, the Dodgers have Andy Pages, Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernández in three spots. Ohtani is the designated hitter most days. De Paula has now made his major league debut but doesn’t currently have a great path to playing time. Hernández might end up traded to make way for De Paula in left field, a possibility that MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk recently explored. Even if De Paula struggles, Sirota and Quintero aren’t far off. Sirota got a late-season promotion to Triple-A this year and Quintero got a brief bump to Double-A. Davalan also got bumped to Double-A in September and isn’t too far from the show, but given that crowded outfield picture, he might have a hard time pushing his way in. The second base spot is a bit more fluid. Tommy Edman looks like the favorite right now, though he’s been fairly injury prone of late. He hasn’t played 100 games in a season since 2023. Alex Freeland is in the mix but hasn’t clicked in the majors through his first 118 games. Hyeseong Kim is around as a utility option. The roster picture could also see some other fluctuations going forward. First baseman Freddie Freeman is 37 years old and only signed for one more year. Third baseman Max Muncy is 36 and also going into the final guaranteed year of his contract. Shortstop Mookie Betts is signed for a long time but is 34 years old and can’t stay at shortstop forever. Tucker can opt out of his deal after 2027 and 2028. For Davalan or any other prospect, greater flexibility increases the chances of fitting into the puzzle. Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images