Roki Sasaki injury news has Padres briefly relieved he chose Dodgers

At surface level, it really felt like the San Diego Padres had one objective this offseason: To sign Roki Sasaki. The right-handed Japanese pitcher was several teams' most desired target heading into the 2025 season, and the Padres were right in the thick of it.

Ultimately, Sasaki signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, because who doesn't these days? It's been a rocky start to the 23-year-old's Major League Baseball career, though, and now, Padres fans might be relieved (temporarily) that Sasaki didn't end up in San Diego. He's headed to the injured list with a shoulder impingement, and with the Padres' long list of injuries already, adding another potential hurt pitcher would have been disastrous.

Through eight starts, Sasaki has been anything but stellar. It's an adjustment to MLB, especially for someone coming to a new country and spending zero time developing in the minor leagues. His 4.72 ERA is fine, but he has a 6.16 FIP, which tells us another story that he's actually been pretty bad.

A 24:22 K:BB is forgettable, as is six home runs allowed in 34 1/3 frames. Perhaps his injury has impaired him from pitching to his fullest ability, but Sasaki's start to the season has not been nearly as glamarous as the constant headlines he hogged over the winter.

Sasaki has tossed against an NL West opponent once, which was his last start before getting shelved. Against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 9, Sasaki surrendered five runs on five hits, including two home runs and two walks. In eight starts, he has pitched into the sixth inning just once, and into the fifth inning only three other times.

There is definitely a grace period that Sasaki can be afforded, but Padres fans can bask in the fact that they signed Nick Pivetta instead. He's been All-Star level through eight starts, winning five games with a 9.9 K/9.

Let's call that a win, for now, for the San Diego Padres.