Dodgers' Roki Sasaki Placed on IL with Shoulder Injury, J.P. Feyereisen Recalled

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Tuesday they placed starting pitcher Rōki Sasaki on the injured list because of a "right shoulder impingement."

They also recalled pitcher J.P. Feyereisen in a corresponding move.

Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic cited a source who said Sasaki has dealt with shoulder concerns during some of his recent outings. This move will give him time to rest the shoulder and ideally heal before the middle of the season.

Sasaki was a headline addition for the Dodgers during the offseason, but he has not lived up to the hype to this point.

Through eight starts, he has a 4.72 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 24 strikeouts and 22 walks in 34.1 innings. The strikeout-to-walk ratio is far from ideal, and he just allowed five earned runs in four innings in his most recent outing Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

What's more, Ardaya noted there has been a drop in his velocity.

Sasaki hasn't thrown 100 mph since his first start and hasn't reached the 98-mph mark since his fourth start of the season. Manager Dave Roberts said the drop in velocity was due to the injury and mechanics concerns.

"We're still trying to have conversations to kind of see where he's at, because at the end of the day, we want to make sure that he is performing up to his capabilities and up to our capabilities and our expectations," Roberts said Tuesday. "So there's a lot of things that we're trying to suss out right now with Roki."

The good news for the Dodgers is that reinforcements could be coming.

As Ardaya noted, future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw will make his first appearance on the season Saturday following offseason toe and knee surgeries. What's more, Blake Snell was scheduled to meet with doctors Tuesday to potentially get cleared for a throwing progression as he recovers from his shoulder injury.

And Tyler Glasnow is throwing as he recovers from his own shoulder issue.

Los Angeles is also in first place in the National League West despite Sasaki's struggles and will look to remain there as he recovers.