Dodgers actually get positive Roki Sasaki update after what sounded like brutal blow

It has been a brutal 2025 for Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitchers. The club has been without two of their aces for the majority of the season, and then saw their struggling rookie phenom Roki Sasaki go down as well.

After about a month, it didn't seem as if things were going well for Sasaki in his quest to come back from a shoulder impingement; however, Dodgers beat reporter Fabian Ardaya just blessed fans with a promising update regarding Sasaki's progress.

Per Ardaya via manager Dave Roberts, Sasaki has restarted his throwing program and is now out to 60 and 90 feet in his efforts to make his way back. While this doesn't mean a return is imminent, it's a huge step forward from where he was just a week ago, playing light catch and not really propelling his return forward.

The latest Roki Sasaki update provides good news as reinforcements to the Dodgers' rotation are on the way

While Sasaki's return isn't imminent, his beginning to throw in earnest is a big step forward for his eventual return, especially since seeing him placed on the 60-Day IL really put a damper on things recently. That's good news as the Dodgers also await the returns of Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow; the latter had his rehab slowed, but is throwing bullpen sessions and eyeing a July return, with Snell not too far behind.

Sasaki will likely trail these two, but if all goes well, the Dodgers should have all three back to hopefully boost the rotation, which currently ranks 24th in the majors in ERA at 4.26.

Perhaps more importantly, the injury and required rehab may be a blessing for Sasaki. The 23-year-old arrived stateside with much fanfare, but really struggled, pitching to a 4.72 ERA and 6.17 FIP before being sidelined with the shoulder issue.

There were rumblings that the Dodgers should've demoted him to Triple-A to work through his command and confidence issues, though some believed a demotion would actually harm his self-esteem more than grinding through the struggles would.

Now, the Dodgers will get the chance to send him out against minor-league hitters without a demotion being attached to the process, giving him a golden opportunity to reset himself mentally.

Furthermore, it's questionable how long the shoulder issue was actually affecting him and if it was actually to root cause of his falling flat in the face of the enormous expectations placed on him after choosing to defect from Japan's NPB and chase his baseball dreams stateside.

Whatever the case may be, the latest news is all good for the Dodgers, and the youngster should work his way back into the big league rotation at some point this season, likely healthier and more confident once he finally resurfaces.