Conflicting Roki Sasaki updates show Dodgers fans can’t trust what Dave Roberts says
A few hours before the Dodgers’ Sunday finale against the Giants, Dave Roberts dropped a bombshell on fans: “We have to plan on life without [Roki Sasaki] at least this year.”
Sasaki has been on the 15-day IL with a shoulder impingement since May 13, but a move to the 60-day feels inevitable if the Dodgers acquire the pitching additions they desperately need before or at the trade deadline. His progress from the injury has moved very slowly since the initial IL move, leaving Dodgers fans to hold onto more hope for Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow coming back sooner, but Sasaki’s debut season being a total wash wasn’t something that Dodgers fans could anticipate.
However, Roberts walked back that initial sentiment just hours later, when he said that Sasaki was pain-free and that the Dodgers would restart his build-up “soon.”
Roberts has also flip-flopped on Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound a lot over the past few weeks, before the Dodgers announced that he would make his team pitching debut on Monday night against the Padres. Roberts is probably just relaying information as he receives it, but how in the world can it all continue to be conflicting?
Dave Roberts sang a much different tune postgame here on Roki Sasaki.
Dave Roberts botches Roki Sasaki pitching update, basically announces his season is over before walking back
Of course, there’s always the possibility that the Dodgers drop another bombshell that proves Roberts’ initial claim correct, which would track for this team’s remarkable inability to keep pitchers healthy. But it’ll be hard to take anything except official statements from the team seriously going forward.
Roberts also got his wires crossed with Tyler Glasnow, when he said Glasnow was still experiencing pain and alluded to having to shut him down again, and Glasnow quickly contradicted that statement. With Ohtani, it was a “he won’t pitch until after the All-Star break,” “he may pitch before the All-Star break,” “but maybe he won’t” situation before the team made the official announcement.
Roberts veers between hyperbole and total vagueness, neither of which are helpful. Media scrambled to report that it looked like Sasaki would be out for the year, only to have to relay a “well, maybe not” just hours later.
So we’re back to square one. Sasaki’s season doesn’t look like it’s over, but Roberts’ initial “after the All-Star break” estimation could mean anything from Aug. 1 to Sept. 28. If the Ohtani announcement is anything to go off of, we might not get any real clarity until the day before Sasaki comes back.
