"You got to dodge a bunch of bullets" - MLB analyst skeptical Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki, Blake Snell, and other Dodgers pitchers throwing 175 innings

The Los Angeles Dodgers have built an incredibly strong starting rotation for the upcoming season after adding Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki to their roster last week. The Dodgers acquired Blake Snell earlier in the off-season, while Shohei Ohtani is also set to return to the mound this year. Meanwhile, they had also signed Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto last season.

MLB analyst Andy McCullouch feels the Los Angeles Dodgers will encounter some issues over the course of the season in terms of keeping their pitchers healthy. He stated that Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto all have had arm injuries in the past, while Roki Sasaki is also going to get hurt at some point as he has been throwing over 100 mph from a young age.

Andy McCullough is a senior writer for The Athletic. McCullough offered his thoughts on the Baseball Bar-B-Cast podcast for Yahoo Sports on Tuesday.

"You've got Roki Sasaki, who comes with some injury risk," he said. "You've got Shohei Ohtani, who everyone is penciling in for 125 innings even though he's coming back from his second elbow reconstruction [surgery], which is not an easy thing to do.

"You have Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who had a significant shoulder injury last year. You have Tyler Glasnow, who's got an elbow [injury] and was unable to answer the bell for the postseason. And then you have Blake Snell, who is awesome but has dealt with injury issues over the past few years.

"None of these guys you can pencil in for 175 [innings]," he added. "If they're healthy and ready to go, they're lethal. But you got to dodge a bunch of bullets to get there."

Yamamoto is the only remaining member of the Dodgers starting rotation from the last postseason during which they had to rely entirely upon their bullpen in some of the games.

Roki Sasaki is going to get hurt at some point: Andy McCullough

Roki Sasaki recorded 19 strikeouts during his perfect game for the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2022 (Image Source: Imagn)

Andy McCullough believes the Los Angeles Dodgers will have a massive challenge in keeping Roki Sasaki healthy over the course of his rookie season in the MLB. McCullough stated that Sasaki has faced some injury trouble while his fastball velocity has also dropped over the past two years.

"The main charge for the Dodgers is basically to keep Sasaki healthy, which is going to be a significant challenge if you talk to scouts who've seen him, looked at his delivery, and tracked him as he's dealt with some health stuff and some velo stuff," he said. "He's going to get hurt at some point."

Roki Sasaki crossed over to the MLB as a two-time All-Star in the NPB but he has not pitched over 130 innings in a season as yet.