In baseball, life comes at you quickly, especially for those on the mound. 

This can especially be said for the Los Angeles Dodgers sophomore right-hander Roki Sasaki. 

"The Monster of the Reiwa Era" was the most sought-after free agent heading into the 2025 season. And it was the Dodgers who landed his services in January of that year.

It only bolstered their starting rotation, which included the likes of Yohsinobu Yamamoto and the soon-to-pitch Shohei Ohtani. 

His first year was more than highly anticipated; it came with immense pressure to perform at the highest level like his fellow countrymen. 

Sasaki went through the trials and tribulations one faces in their rookie year — probably more than people expected — and it was an adjustment and a half. 

He tallied 10 appearances for the Dodgers, eight of which he started, and recorded an ERA of 4.46 and 28 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings. 

Numbers speak for themselves, but those were thrown to the wayside once the calendar turned to October. 

Sasaki acted as the premier arm coming out of the bullpen for the Dodgers in crucial spots in last year's postseason. 

His contributions in big spots were detrimental to the Dodgers' winning back-to-back titles.

Fast forward to spring, with a full MLB season under his belt, the Dodgers expected to have their starter back. 

Just like his first season, it's been a rollercoaster of highs and lows. 

His fastball command has been a persistent issue that has arisen during camp.

Despite the inconsistencies, the Dodgers and manager Dave Roberts have put their continued trust in Sasaki. 

This became even more evident with Roberts telling the media on Tuesday morning that he can't imagine a world in which Sasaki is not a starter. 

The Dodgers were busy at Camelback Ranch, facing off against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday afternoon. But Sasaki would have some work to do as well. 

For the first time this spring, Sasaki was pitching for the Dodgers B team against Chicago White Sox minor leaguers. 

He showed impressive stuff overall, going four innings and striking out nine White Sox hitters.

After a leadoff single began his outing, Sasaki would punchout the next seven consecutive batters, all on offspeed stuff. 

More impressively, he accumulated 17 whiffs, mostly on his newly added forkball. 

In terms of the fastball effectiveness, he was spotty at times with location, but the velocity was definitely present. 

He sat around 98-100 mph on his heater and struck out the last two batters he faced with his fastball. 

Roberts did not have a chance to see his outing, but thought of it as "electric." 

With Sasaki as a fortified starter for the Dodgers, the starting rotation is beginning to take shape. 

Yoshinobu Yamamoto headlines the starting staff, with Shohei Ohtani to follow, Tyler Glasnow, and Sasaki as the 1-4. 

There is still an ongoing battle for the fifth starting spot with Emmet Sheehan, River Ryan, and Justin Wrobleski all in the mix. 

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