Roki Sasaki Injury: Better in second rehab outing

Sasaki (shoulder) threw 3.1 innings in a minor-league rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks while striking out two batters.

Sasaki struggled a bit with his control Wednesday, issuing three free passes and throwing a modest 39 of 60 pitches for strikes. However, he had better results than in his previous appearance with OKC, when he allowed three runs over two-plus frames. Notably, Sasaki's fastball velocity was up to an average of 96 mph Wednesday after it sat in the 93-to-94 mph range in first rehab start. Despite the step forward, it doesn't seem like Sasaki is ready yet to return to the big-league roster. The Dodgers' rotation has gotten mostly healthy since Sasaki has been shelved, and Emmet Sheehan has take up the role as the sixth starter, so Sasaki isn't certain to have a place on the big club's starting staff even when he's physically ready to return.