Dodgers move Roki Sasaki to injured list with right middle-finger blister, turn to Eric Lauer

The Los Angeles Dodgers have placed Roki Sasaki on the injured list due to a blister on his right middle finger, an administrative move that immediately reshapes their starting rotation. The decision, announced as a follow-up to the team’s most recent game, means Sasaki’s next scheduled turn is paused while the Dodgers manage the day-to-day condition of the injured spot and keep their rotation functioning through a critical stretch.

According to the Dodgers’ transaction reporting carried by Yahoo Sports, Eric Lauer will take Sasaki’s rotation spot. Lauer’s promotion is the clearest roster adjustment tied to the IL move, and it also provides the bullpen and daily rest plans with more stability than trying to stretch other starters to cover the absence.

The timing matters for a club that has been built to handle both performance and health volatility across its starting staff. The report also notes that Tyler Glasnow, and perhaps Shohei Ohtani, are expected to be involved in the rotation picture around this period. If those returns land when expected, the Lauer start may be a bridge, not a long-term replacement, but the Dodgers will still need to keep their plans flexible while finger blisters can linger and change how a pitcher grips the ball.

Sasaki’s blister is a reminder that even non-structural injuries can force meaningful changes in usage. For pitchers, a blister on a primary pitching finger can affect pitch control, release consistency, and comfort on breaking balls. Even when there is no timetable established publicly, the practical question becomes whether the affected area can handle throwing volume and intensity at the level required for a starting pitcher.

The Dodgers’ move came after a 6-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves, according to the same report that described the IL placement and rotation adjustment. That context does not change the medical decision, but it underscores the competitive environment: a one-week pitching rotation swing can affect how quickly a team responds in the standings and how it handles the run of opponents that follow.

What to watch next is whether the finger blister improves on the same timeline that teams typically target for IL re-evaluation, and whether the Dodgers can keep their starting staff from absorbing additional strain. With Lauer slated to step into Sasaki’s turn, the immediate storyline is how well the Dodgers can sustain performance from their next starter while continuing to monitor the potential return timing of Glasnow and Ohtani.

For now, the Dodgers are balancing two tasks at once, keeping their lineup focused while preserving pitching continuity. The Sasaki IL move provides clarity for the rotation slot, but the bigger test will be how the team’s broader staff responds over the next several starts as they try to protect matchups and avoid cascading effects from a single finger injury.