Just when the Los Angeles Dodgers thought they were about to have all six of their best starters in the rotation, Roki Sasaki is headed to the injured list.
Tyler Glasnow returned on Tuesday and Blake Snell came back last week. Shohei Ohtani is expected to return to the rotation next week, although he will need a build-up. Those three, plus Tarik Skubal, Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, make up the best rotation in all of baseball.
That group has not all been healthy at the same time, however. On Wednesday, Sasaki exited a game against the Atlanta Braves early with a blister, and Dave Roberts said he will be placed on the 15-day injured list.
"When I was facing the first hitter in the fourth inning, I actually didn't feel anything coming beforehand," Sasaki said through an interpreter, per MLB.com's Courtney Hollman. "My skin just ripped off, and then after that, it got worse. ... I thought I was able to manage at first because the skin was still there, but after that, it kept getting worse, and I think it affected my slider afterwards."
Before Wednesday's short start in which he battled a blister, Sasaki had a 2.31 ERA in his last six starts. The Dodgers got him a bigger glove to help with some pitch-tipping issues, and he has been great ever since. He has a 3.05 ERA since the All-Star break.
Losing Sasaki is a big blow to the Dodgers, but the bright side is that a blister should not keep him out too long. In the meantime, Eric Lauer should take his spot in the rotation. Justin Wrobleski is still on the injured list; otherwise, the All-Star pitcher could take his spot for now.
The Dodgers have played well with Lauer on the mound, so it should not be a big issue. Lauer has a 3.78 ERA as a Dodger. The team has lost just two games he has pitched in, including Wednesday night's contest when he threw two innings.
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