Roki Sasaki rejoins Dodgers as reliever after shoulder impingement

Roki Sasaki will rejoin the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday as a reliever after more than four months on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement, manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday. The move marks a major shift for the 23 year old Japanese right hander, who started his professional career as a frontline starter in Japan but will now pitch out of the bullpen as the Dodgers try to salvage his rookie season.

Roberts said Sasaki will be activated and added to the bullpen, though the team has not defined a specific role. "He's going to be in the pen, don't know what role," Roberts told reporters. "I think he's embraced it." General manager Brandon Gomes said the club will continue to evaluate workload and roster context day by day.

Sasaki missed time after landing on the 60 day injured list on May 9. He worked on a rehab assignment with Triple A Oklahoma City, where reports show he made several starts before shifting to relief. Accounts vary on the exact totals, but during his Triple A stint he showed renewed velocity, touching 99 to 100 miles per hour, and finished with a pair of scoreless relief innings that included multiple strikeouts, according to team reports. In a...