Like pretty much every other time the Dodgers have found themselves in a self-made mess, the task of downplaying a major problem once again was made the responsibility of manager Dave Roberts.

So, in the aftermath of a deflating 11-1 defeat by the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night, Roberts trudged into the interview room at Dodger Stadium and applied a good old Stan Kasten spin to Roki Sasaki’s move to the 15-day injured list.

The point relayed by Roberts was basically this: Sasaki underwhelmed in his eight major league starts because of a shoulder pain that he kept secret from the Dodgers “for the last weeks,” and not because the 23-year-old rookie right-hander wasn’t as good as they previously thought.

“He hasn’t been as productive as he would have liked because he was compromised,” said Roberts, who added that Sasaki revealed his condition to the team after his most recent start.

The explanation raised an equally alarming possibility, however.

If Roberts’ story was accurate, and Sasaki experienced a shoulder impingement similar to the one that slowed him down last year in Japan, wouldn’t that point to a chronic problem?

As it was, Sasaki was already viewed as a high injury risk. He never remained healthy for an entire season with the Chiba Lotte Marines.

At this point, what’s worse? That Sasaki’s lack of control and decline in fastball velocity were because of a chronic shoulder issue? Or because he just was too raw to compete in the major leagues?

Either scenario would be problematic.

So, what now?

As much as the Dodgers sold Sasaki on how they could one day guide him to a Cy Young Award, his future isn’t their only priority. They also have to consider what’s best for their team, which is positioned to become baseball’s first repeat champion in a quarter century.

Even if the Dodgers acknowledge that Sasaki is more of a long-term project than a short-term solution and want to send him to the minor leagues when he returns, they might not have the luxury of doing so. They have signed four potential frontline pitchers in the last two years, and three of them are currently on the injured list — Sasaki, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. The other, two-way player Shohei Ohtani, isn’t expected to pitch until after the All-Star break.

Snell was examined by a team doctor on Tuesday but the team didn’t provide any details about his condition. Glasnow played catch but Roberts didn’t provide a timeline for his return.

The rotation is in such a state of ruin that not only were the Dodgers forced to start Landon Knack on Tuesday, they were desperately awaiting the return of 37-year-old Clayton Kershaw four days later.

Roberts described Sasaki’s injury as “benign” but didn’t say when he might resume throwing. The manager insisted there were no thoughts of sending him to the minors, despite Sasaki posting a 4.72 earned-run average and completing six innings in just one start.

“I think our goal is to get him healthy, get him strong, make sure his delivery is sound for him to pitch for us,” Roberts said.

In other words, Sasaki will return to the mound in the major leagues. He will have to gain familiarity with low-quality American baseballs in the major leagues. He will have to become more comfortable with the pitch clock in the major leagues. He will have to strengthen his body to prevent future injuries in the major leagues. He will have to learn to throw something other than a fastball, forkball and slider in the major leagues.

The Dodgers knew Sasaki would require an adjustment period, but they couldn’t have imagined anything this drastic.

The introductory news conference they staged for Sasaki in January was matched in scale in recent years only by Ohtani’s and Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s. That was where president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman declared Sasaki would start the season in the Dodgers’ rotation, and general manager Brandon Gomes compared him to Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Back then, the Dodgers’ plan for Sasaki was simple: Insert him into the rotation and watch him develop into one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Sasaki can still become everything the Dodgers envisioned, but his path to greatness has become infinitely more complicated. Roberts remained characteristically upbeat, saying Sasaki concealed his shoulder problems not because he was selfish but because he didn’t want to let down an injury-ravaged team.

“He’s a great teammate,” Roberts said.

With his rotation crumbling, Roberts didn’t have the luxury of viewing the situation any other way.

The NFL is playing seven international games during the 2025 season, and there is some history involved on multiple levels. 

Almost all the games and teams involved were announced on Tuesday, and each destination has been set. 

London, which has been the sight of NFL regular-season games since 2007, will have three contests. The NFL is also heading back to Brazil and Germany, while two countries will have its first taste of regular season football this year. 

Dublin, Ireland and Madrid, Spain will also host teams vying for the Vince Lombardi Trophy next season. Here’s the full rundown of who will be playing in each game:

• Week 1: TBA vs. Los Angeles Chargers in São Paulo (Sept. 5)
• Week 4: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Minnesota Vikings in Dublin (Sept. 28)
• Week 5: Minnesota Vikings vs. Cleveland Browns in London (Oct. 5)
• Week 6: Denver Broncos vs. New York Jets in London (Oct. 12)
• Week 7: Los Angeles Rams vs. Jacksonville Jaguars in London (Oct. 19)
• Week 10: Atlanta Falcons vs. Indianapolis Colts in Berlin (Nov. 9)
• Week 11: Miami Dolphins vs. Washington Commanders in Madrid (Nov. 16)

FOX ANNOUNCES SATURDAY NFL DIVISION RIVAL DOUBLEHEADER WHEN PLAYOFF RACES GET SPICY

It was reported the Kansas City Chiefs were going to travel to Brazil to face their AFC West-rival Chargers, though the announcement with exact opponents should come Wednesday. 

Also, it’s worth noting that the Vikings will become the first team in NFL history to play in two separate countries on back-to-back weeks. Their dynamic offense, which is expected to be led by J.J. McCarthy next season, will be on full display in Ireland and the United Kingdom early in the schedule. 

( Tuane Fernandes/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Continuing the global initiative is what the NFL has made a point in doing, and that includes increasing the number of international games on the regular season schedule. 

London was the main hub for building NFL fandom, but in 2022, the league also started to make its presence known in Germany. The Falcons-Colts matchup will be the fifth game played in the country since that year. 

The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers made history this past season with a game in São Paulo, which was the start of Saquon Barkley’s Offensive Player of the Year season with his new squad.

Neo Quimica Arena before a game between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles. (Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)

And while the league is excited to see games in two different countries this season, there is already a plan in place to get one down under in Melbourne, Australia in 2026. 

The season schedule for every team in the league will drop on Wednesday. 

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There’s a new interactive exhibit opening on Thursday at the California Science Center across the street from the Coliseum that will provide Disneyland-like sports entertainment for all ages, and it’s free.

Using sensors, cameras and 21st century technology, “Game On!” takes up 17,000 square feet formally occupied by the Space Shuttle Endeavor exhibit. It allows visitors to learn about science, sports and movement. You get to actively participate by hitting a softball against pitcher Rachel Garcia, take batting practice instructions from Freddie Freeman and kick a soccer ball into a goal while learning from Alyssa and Gisele Thompson. All are mentors.

Yet there’s so much more. You get to try swimming strokes, skateboarding, snowboarding, cycling. There’s climbing, yoga, dancing and challenging your senses during an exhibit that tests your quickness trying to block a hockey puck. There’s a basketball exhibit where you shoot a ball toward the basket and learn whether your form is good.

“There’s something for everybody,” said Renata Simril, president and chief executive of the LA84 Foundation that helped provide funding along with the Dodgers Foundation and Walter Family Foundation.

She’s not embellishing. Parents, children, adults, teenagers — they’re all going to be smiling. Don’t be surprised if nearby USC students discover a new place to enjoy an hour break for fun and laughter from studying by walking over to the exhibition hall when it opens at 10 a.m.

The California Science Center new interactive sports exhibit — “Game On!” — opens on Thursday. It’s free.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

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It’s supposed to be open through the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, but don’t be surprised if popularity creates momentum to keep it around longer.

“It’s really cool,” said Garcia, a former UCLA All-American softball pitcher who appears on a screen showing off her 60 mph pitch as a participant swings a real bat trying to hit an imaginary ball as a light trail moves down a rail toward the batter. “I think it’s phenomenal. It’s going to get a lot of kids engaged.”

Garcia even tried to hit against herself. “I missed the first time,” she said.

The batting cage where Freeman is providing hitting advice has a real soft ball and bat. It will be popular for all ages.

The rock climbing exhibit still has not been completed, but participants will wear a harness as they climb toward the ceiling.

Although kids will be the most enthusiastic, a dinner recently held at the facility that had adults dressed in tuxedos and dresses resulted in them trying out the exhibits and acting like teenagers again.

Using science to teach lessons could provide inspiration for non-sports visitors. There are sound effects throughout and most important, pushing a button doesn’t just mean you watch and listen. It means you get to participate, whether hitting a baseball or softball, trying to make a free throw, trying to swim or skateboard.

Don’t be surprised when word gets out how much fun this exhibition creates. There will be lines. The only question: Will it be kids lining up or adults?