LOS ANGELES -- Roki Sasaki will likely have the opportunity to make an impact for the Dodgers in the most important games of their title defense -- just not in the way that he or the team would have expected earlier this year.
Following a recent shift to the bullpen, Sasaki is expected to make the roster for the best-of-three NL Wild Card Series, manager Dave Roberts said on Monday. The 23-year-old right-hander has made just four professional relief appearances, but he's looked much more like the electric arm that several teams desired in the offseason in that small sample.
"I still think that the way he threw, the big games that he's pitched in before," Roberts said, "I think that that's something that I can trust, certainly."
Sasaki, who was a highly coveted international amateur free-agent signing out of Japan this past offseason, had mixed results as a starter in his rookie season in the big leagues. He posted a 4.72 ERA in eight starts before missing four months with a right shoulder impingement, and he did not look particularly sharp early on in his rehab assignment.
Midway through September, as the big league club's rotation thrived, it became clear that Sasaki's only plausible path back to the Dodgers was to move to the bullpen. The role change made an immediate difference: He was able to sit in the high 90s and attack the zone with his fastball, setting up his nasty splitter.
After two scoreless innings in relief with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Sasaki returned from the IL and continued to impress in two appearances out of the 'pen on Wednesday and Friday. That showed the Dodgers all they needed to see.
Los Angeles' bullpen posted a 4.27 ERA this year, tied with Philadelphia for the worst mark among the six NL postseason teams. A full-strength Sasaki could be a huge addition to that group.
Smith's status
There has been uncertainty surrounding whether catcher Will Smith, who has been dealing with a hairline fracture in his right hand after being struck by a foul tip on Sept. 3, could be a viable option for the Wild Card Series roster. He took a necessary step forward by facing live pitching for the first time in 20 days during Monday's workout.
Smith also threw in the field on Monday. Swinging and throwing have been the toughest tests with his injured hand. Roberts said that as long as the backstop came away from his live session feeling good, then it would be a "viable thought" to include him on the roster, which will be set Tuesday morning.
Whether Smith could be active and available to pinch-hit is one thing. Whether he could realistically catch the bulk of a game behind the plate is another. Even if the Dodgers opt to carry Smith into the Wild Card Series, they could still choose to roster three catchers -- also Ben Rortvedt and Dalton Rushing -- to ensure they're covered.
Lingering injuries to watch
Both Max Muncy (lower body soreness) and Tommy Edman (right ankle soreness) got some time off after the Dodgers clinched the NL West on Thursday. They also participated in Monday night's live batting practice session, taking at-bats against Bobby Miller and Kyle Hurt alongside Smith.
Roberts expects Muncy and Edman to return to the starting lineup for Game 1 on Tuesday.
Muncy has been vague about what he's dealing with, noting that there are "a lot of issues going on." He was on the IL twice this year, first with a bone bruise in his left knee and later with a strained right oblique. After he came back from the second IL stint, he was hit by pitches three times in the span of nine days, which he said has also been something he's working through.
Edman was also on the IL twice this season, both times nursing a sprained right ankle. He has needed to manage it throughout the year, and that will likely be the case during the postseason as well.