Roki Sasaki was the hottest pitcher on the market this offseason. So much so that the White Sox were among several teams that made a pitch to the 23-year-old Japanese star before he eventually signed with the Dodgers.
Now Saskai is ramping up for his first start, which is expected to come during the second game in the regular season against the Cubs in Japan. But he can make his official Dodger debut must make his MLB Spring Training debut. On Tuesday he got one step closer, after throwing a “hybrid-b” game against some of the players in the White Sox minor league camp.
The first batter that Saski faced on Tuesday was the White Sox top-ranked catching prospect Kyle Teel. Teel was acquired in one of the biggest trades of the offseason when the Red Sox sent Chicago a four-player package in exchange for Garrett Crochet. Teel lived up to billing as MLB Pipeline’s 32nd-ranked prospect by taking Sasaki, who is currently listed as the top prospect in baseball, deep to right field.
First batter to face Roki Sasaki? Kyle Teel.
First batter to take Roki Sasaki deep? Kyle Teel. 👀(via @AramLeighton8 ) pic.twitter.com/1RXrmZCZLu
— White Sox on CHSN (@CHSN_WhiteSox) February 25, 2025
While it may not count in the stat book it’s an impressive showing from Teel. Sasaki posted a career 2.02 ERA in 69 games with the Chiba Lotte Marines and quickly emerged as one of the best pitchers in Japan.
