Overview
- Sasaki threw a live batting-practice session in Cincinnati on Wednesday that the Dodgers hope is the final medical 'check mark' in his recovery from a right middle-finger blister.
- The team has not set an activation date and is weighing whether to plug Sasaki back into the rotation for the final regular-season weeks or convert him to a high-leverage bullpen role for October.
- Dodgers staffers have progressed him through a Dermabond-protected bullpen test and a simulated game before the live BP and are prioritizing avoiding any setback that could delay his availability.
- Through 23 starts before the injury he was 5-5 with a 4.60 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 119.1 innings, and his strong 2025 postseason as a reliever is a key reason the club is considering using him out of the bullpen.
- How the Dodgers act next will affect rotation depth and late-inning options: a quick activation could plug an open rotation spot while a bullpen role would add a short-burst swing-and-miss arm for October.