The Los Angeles Dodgers have yet to determine exactly where Roki Sasaki fits into their October pitching plans, and his current stint on the Injured List has made that decision more complicated.

Sasaki has been sidelined since Aug. 27 with a blister on his right middle finger.

The Dodgers have been cautious with the hard-throwing right-hander to prevent the problem from worsening, but the injury is not expected to keep him out for an extended period.

According to Dodger Blue, manager Dave Roberts said Sasaki’s blister is healing well. He has continued playing catch and keeping his arm active while recovering.

Roberts was uncertain about the exact date Sasaki would become eligible to return but indicated that Los Angeles expects his absence to be relatively short.

Once Sasaki is healthy, the Dodgers must decide whether they need him more as a starter during the final weeks or should begin preparing him for a postseason bullpen assignment.

Los Angeles has already considered using him in relief in October.

However, Roberts previously indicated that the preferred approach would be returning Sasaki to the rotation first, depending on when he is cleared and the state of the starting staff at that point.

Nothing has been finalized.

There is also precedent for using Sasaki out of the bullpen.

The second-year pitcher made relief appearances during a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City and twice worked as a reliever near the end of last year’s regular season and in the postseason.

That experience could become important if the Dodgers decide relief represents his best route onto the postseason roster this year.

For now, they may still require another starter during the final month.

Sasaki is 5-5 with a 4.60 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 119.1 innings across 23 starts this season.

His performance had also begun trending in the right direction before the blister developed.

Sasaki completed at least five innings while surrendering no more than two earned runs in three of his final four starts before landing on the Injured List. He also won his final two decisions.

Sasaki’s power allows him to attack aggressively, while shorter appearances in relief could remove the need to conserve energy or worry about navigating the same lineup multiple times.

That could allow his best pitches to play with even greater intensity.

Sasaki also offers flexibility, which is very valuable in the postseason.

He has already experienced both starting and relieving, so Roberts would not be asking him to enter completely unfamiliar territory.

The priority remains getting the blister fully healed.

Once that happens, Sasaki’s arm gives the Dodgers two legitimate options rather than forcing them into one.