Roki Sasaki injury update might’ve just confirmed Dodgers fans’ worst fears

Roki Sasaki's declining fastball velocity was a problem that already had Los Angeles Dodgers fans fearing the worst about their star offseason signing. Now, it appears that those fears may become reality.

According to a report from Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Sasaki reported some arm soreness after his last start. Manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers are still "sorting out" whether that will require a stint on the injured list, but either way, it doesn't sound good.

Eight starts into his MLB career, Sasaki has a 4.72 ERA with an alarmingly high 22 walks. What optimists hoped were merely "growing pains" as the 23-year-old adjusts to life in the Majors may actually be a different kind of pains altogether – and not the kind that can be fixed with a conditioning stint in the minors.

Dodgers may have confirmed fearful reason behind Roki Sasaki velocity dip

The decline in Sasaki's fastball velocity has been impossible to ignore. He touched 100 mph during the Dodgers' season opener in Japan, but he has since dropped into the low 90s. Sasaki struggled with command in his first few Major League appearances, but even mechanical adjustments shouldn't cause a drop-off that steep.

Sasaki's triple-digit fastball was his calling card in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. According to Baseball Savant, he throws his four-seamer more than 50% of the time. He is still averaging 96 mph, which ranks in the 80th percentile among qualified Major Leaguers according to Statcast, but he doesn't look like the flame-throwing superstar who entered the season as the No. 1 prospect in baseball.

Sasaki last pitched on Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks and failed to record a strikeout. He allowed a season-high five runs on five hits and two walks, throwing 61 pitches over four innings. After the game – which the Dodgers miraculously won, 14-11 – Sasaki said he was still in the process of trying to find out the "root cause" of the dip in his velocity. Unfortunately, that root cause may be more than a simple crisis of confidence.

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