Summary
✓Reviewed by Laura Bennett Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki will be placed on the 15-day injured list with a blister on his right middle finger, manager Dave Roberts confirmed to reporters on the night of Wednesday, August 26, 2026,...
Table of contents
- 1 How the Blister Developed During the Start
- 2 Dave Roberts: “No Way We Can Avoid It”
- 3 Sasaki’s Game Log From Wednesday: Key Numbers
- 4 Dodgers Playoff Picture: NL West Stakes With Sasaki Out
- 5 What Happens Next: Timeline and Return Projection
- 6 Blister Injuries in MLB: A Persistent Problem for Pitchers
- 7 Key Takeaways
- 8 Related Coverage
- 9 Sources
Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki will be placed on the 15-day injured list with a blister on his right middle finger, manager Dave Roberts confirmed to reporters on the night of Wednesday, August 26, 2026, following the team’s loss to the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Sasaki was pulled after just 3.1 innings and 66 pitches, leaving the game with two runners on base after allowing four earned runs on six hits in one of the most disruptive injury setbacks of the Dodgers’ late-season stretch.
How the Blister Developed During the Start
Sasaki entered Wednesday’s start against Atlanta in solid form, but the blister emerged suddenly and without warning in the fourth inning. Speaking through an interpreter after the game, Sasaki described the moment the injury became unmanageable: “When I was facing the first hitter in the fourth inning, I actually didn’t feel anything; my skin just ripped off. After that, it got worse.”
He was removed with one out in the fourth inning, having already reached 66 pitches, with two runners stranded in scoring position. The exit capped an outing in which he allowed two runs in that final inning, compounding the damage from an already difficult afternoon against the Braves’ lineup.
Reporting on the IL placement was first confirmed by Reuters at 2:53 a.m. on August 27, 2026, with additional detail provided by Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic and relayed by MLB Trade Rumors.
Dave Roberts: “No Way We Can Avoid It”
Manager Dave Roberts did not attempt to downplay the severity. Speaking postgame, Roberts described the blister as significant enough that the standard treatment approach was not an option. “There’s just no way we can avoid it given the severity of the blister,” Roberts told reporters, according to Roundtable.io’s coverage of the postgame press conference.
Roberts also characterized the timing as unexpected. “It was a pretty good blister. It just came out of nowhere,” he said, per the same report. The manager confirmed the 15-day IL designation immediately after the game, leaving no ambiguity about the team’s decision. Eric Lauer is expected to take Sasaki’s rotation spot while the Japanese right-hander recovers.
Blisters on pitchers’ throwing fingers are among the most unpredictable injuries in baseball. Unlike muscle strains or ligament issues, they can appear without a clear mechanical cause, and their progression — from a manageable annoyance to a skin-splitting wound — can happen within a single outing, as Sasaki experienced on Wednesday night.
Sasaki’s Game Log From Wednesday: Key Numbers
The box score from Truist Park tells the story of a start that unraveled late. Sasaki’s line from August 26 against Atlanta:
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Innings pitched | 3.1 |
| Hits allowed | 6 |
| Earned runs | 4 |
| Walks | 2 |
| Strikeouts | 3 |
| Pitches thrown | 66 |
| Exit reason | Blister, right middle finger |
The outing at Truist Park was the game in which Sasaki departed, per SportsGrid’s game report, with the Dodgers ultimately suffering a walk-off loss to Atlanta. The defeat added further pressure on a club sitting at 80-53 on the season, second in the NL West behind the Milwaukee Brewers (82-51) entering August 27.
Dodgers Playoff Picture: NL West Stakes With Sasaki Out
Los Angeles entered Thursday, August 27 holding the second seed in the National League, trailing the Brewers by two games in the NL West. The Dodgers remain comfortably inside the playoff picture, but losing a frontline starter for a minimum of 15 days narrows their rotation depth at precisely the moment when contending clubs typically tighten their rotations for postseason preparation.
The Dodgers face the Detroit Tigers next, beginning August 28, before returning home. Without Sasaki, they will rely on the rest of their rotation — which already includes left-hander Blake Snell on the IL with a left shoulder issue — and the newly slotted Lauer to absorb the innings during the final stretch of the regular season.
For context on how playoff races evolve during injury disruptions like this one, our coverage of the MLB playoff picture tracks how rotation depth has historically shaped late-season standings, and the JJ Bleday cycle game recap from earlier this month is a reminder of how individual performances ripple through August standings.
What Happens Next: Timeline and Return Projection
Under the 15-day IL designation, Sasaki cannot be activated before the minimum absence period ends. No firm return date was given by Roberts in his postgame comments, and the nature of blister injuries on pitchers makes timelines inherently variable — some pitchers return within two to three weeks once the skin fully heals, while others experience setbacks if they attempt to grip and spin the ball before the finger has fully recovered.
The Dodgers’ front office will monitor Sasaki’s progress carefully. Unlike structural injuries, blisters do not typically require surgery or extended rehabilitation, but premature returns can cause additional skin damage and prolong the total absence. Given that the Dodgers are managing both Sasaki and Snell on the IL simultaneously, the medical staff is likely to err on the side of caution before activating either pitcher.
Blister Injuries in MLB: A Persistent Problem for Pitchers
Blisters are among the most common and least predictable injuries in professional pitching. They form when friction from grip and release creates separation between layers of skin, and they can range from mild inconveniences — managed with moleskin or other protective coverings between starts — to severe wounds that make it impossible to grip the ball with normal pressure or spin.
Sasaki’s description of the blister tearing open mid-inning places this injury in the more serious category. When the skin separates during a game rather than in between starts, it typically indicates a deeper or more extensive wound that requires full healing time rather than a quick patch-and-return approach. The 15-day designation reflects that reality.
For the Dodgers, the loss of Sasaki — even temporarily — is the kind of late-season disruption that tests depth. Los Angeles will need Lauer to provide competitive innings while also monitoring whether any of their other starters can absorb extra workload as the playoff race enters its final month.
Key Takeaways
- IL type: 15-day injured list, effective following the August 26, 2026 game in Atlanta
- Injury: Blister on the right middle finger (throwing hand)
- Stat line when pulled: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 66 pitches
- Roberts’ quote: “There’s just no way we can avoid it given the severity of the blister”
- Rotation replacement: Eric Lauer expected to take Sasaki’s spot
- Dodgers record at time of IL placement: 80–53, second in NL West
- Return timeline: Minimum 15 days; no firm date announced by Roberts
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