Roki Sasaki continues to practice new pitches but still plans to rely mainly on his forkball.

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ "Reiwa Monster," Roki Sasaki, just finished his second rehab game on August 21. His velocity showed improvement over the first outing, but he confessed, "It's really difficult at the moment," managing to perform at roughly 80%. During the interview, he mentioned the new sinker and cutter pitches he's practicing, but he feels "it's not the right time to change his style," intending to keep relying mainly on his fastball and forkball.

In Sasaki’s second rehab appearance, he pitched 3.1 innings, throwing 60 pitches, allowing 3 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), with 3 walks and 2 strikeouts. He threw 39 strikes and 21 balls, with his fastest pitch clocked at 97.8 mph (about 157.4 km/h). Compared to his previous top speed of 154 km/h, this is an increase of about 3 km/h, though he described his current situation as "still tough."

Sasaki mentioned, "Last time I was a bit too relaxed getting into the rhythm, which is a big point of reflection. This past week, I've been aware of needing to 'give it my all.' My condition is gradually improving. Although I'm not satisfied yet, it feels good, and if I keep this up, I believe I can keep getting better. It feels promising."

He explained, "I deliberately tried to pitch as if giving 120% during warm-up throws, but even so, I feel I haven't reached a true 100% yet. If I continue, I expect to improve further." Regarding his pitching mechanics, he is focusing on the use of his upper body.

Sasaki said, "My shoulder pain previously affected my slider, so I wasn’t throwing it well. Now it's gradually recovering, and I’m bringing my big motions back to their original form. Next, I need to work on using my lower body and hips — there are many areas to improve, but the feeling in my upper body is already much better."

About the newly practiced cutter and sinker, Sasaki feels they are better than in his first game. "Control and movement are good enough." However, he still emphasizes that his pitching style will mainly rely on his fastball and forkball. "I'm still too young to transition; I want to continue using my fastball and forkball to dominate hitters. The forkball has very good overall movement, which is helpful for the next steps."