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Ken Rosenthal of Yahoo Sports has floated the idea of the Dodgers moving Roki Sasaki to the closer role as Edwin Díaz continues to struggle in high-leverage situations. The suggestion comes after a stretch where Díaz has blown multiple saves, including back-to-back rough outings against the Brewers this week.

Sasaki has been one of the most electric arms in baseball since arriving from Japan ahead of the 2025 season. The right-hander’s fastball sits in the upper-90s and touches triple digits, and his splitter remains one of the most devastating pitches in the sport. He’s been used exclusively as a starter since joining the Dodgers, but his stuff — particularly the ability to miss bats at an elite rate — profiles as well in short bursts as it does over five or six innings. Moving him to the bullpen would be a dramatic shift, and it’s not something the organization has publicly considered. Sasaki last pitched on August 13.

Díaz, meanwhile, is in the middle of the most turbulent stretch of his Dodgers tenure. The former Mets closer was brought in to stabilize the back end of the bullpen, but his recent performances have raised real questions about whether he can be trusted in the ninth inning down the stretch. Dave Roberts said earlier this week that he’s sticking with Díaz as the closer, but that patience has limits — especially on a team with October aspirations. Díaz was tagged in a blown save against Milwaukee and then allowed runs again the following game, making it a pattern rather than an isolated bad night.

I should be clear here: this is Rosenthal offering a suggestion, not reporting that the Dodgers are actively planning to make this move. There’s a big difference. But when someone with Rosenthal’s credibility and connections raises the idea publicly, it’s worth paying attention to. He sees things coming before most people do.

The practical reality is that moving Sasaki to the bullpen would create a hole in the rotation that the Dodgers would need to fill. They have options — Tyler Glasnow is working his way back through Triple-A, Emmet Sheehan has been pitching well at the same level, and Gavin Stone is also in Oklahoma City. So it’s not like the depth isn’t there. But you’d be taking one of your best starters and shortening his impact to one inning per night. That’s a significant tradeoff.

For now, this falls squarely in the “interesting idea worth monitoring” category. Roberts has shown loyalty to Díaz, and the front office invested in him for a reason. But if the blown saves keep piling up as we push toward September, don’t be surprised if the conversation around Sasaki’s role gets louder. The Dodgers have too much at stake to let the closer situation become a recurring problem. We’ve got Tanner Scott and Evan Phillips already pitching well in the pen, and Alex Vesia has been reliable on the left side — so there are internal options before you’d need to go nuclear with a Sasaki move. But the fact that Rosenthal is putting it out there tells you the industry is watching this closely.

Source(s): Ken Rosenthal (Yahoo Sports) | First reported: August 15, 2026 8:09 AM UTC

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