In Dave Roberts’ view, whatever contribution Shohei Ohtani makes as a pitcher for the remainder of the season will be a bonus.

The Dodgers have to think of Edwin Diaz in similar terms. 

Diaz is back on the injured list, this time with a neck problem. Roberts sounded certain Diaz would pitch again this season, but even if the manager is right, there’s no guarantee how the $69-million closer will perform when he returns.

Here’s the deal: The Dodgers can’t count on Diaz to pitch the ninth inning for them in the playoffs.

At this point, they’ll be fortunate if he can pitch effectively in any role.

Which is why over the final five-plus weeks of the regular season, their single-most important undertaking will be to identify another pitcher who can close for them in October.

Dodgers back end of bullpen in shambles

This looks like a mess at first glance, the Dodgers’ three-peat ambitions possibly dependent on whether the free-agent flop of last year, Tanner Scott, can replace one of the free-agent flops of this year, Diaz. 

In reality, the Dodgers are in a better situation than last year, starting with the fact that Scott has pitched well enough this year to make himself a consideration.

They also have a better idea of what they have in Roki Sasaki.

Sasaki is their option with the most upside, and that would be the case even if Diaz was healthy. The 24-year-old from Japan also has experience closing in the postseason. 

He did it last year.

Sasaki ended up in the role almost by accident. His first season in the majors last year was shaping into a complete disaster. The former teenage phenom was shut down with shoulder problems after making eight mediocre starts in which he looked nothing like the once-in-a-generation talent he was in his home country.

Sidelined for four months, Sasaki was talked into pitching in relief in September. He agreed under the condition the Dodgers promised to move back into the starting rotation the following season. Even then, they didn’t envision him as their closer. The Dodgers called on him to pitch the ninth inning of Game 2 of their Wild Card Series against the Cincinnati Reds because they had no other options. Sasaki was the last card in their deck – and he turned out to be electric.

By every measure, Sasaki is a better pitcher than he was last year. His fastball touches 100 mph on a regular basis. His command has improved. He is physically stronger. His scheduled start against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday will be his 22nd game of the season. He never pitched in more than 20 games in any of his four seasons in Japan.

The increased durability addresses the one major concern about Sasaki as a reliever, which is that he wore down over the course of the playoffs last year. Game 7 of the World Series was closed out by starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

This doesn’t make Sasaki a lock to close.

Other options for Los Angeles

With Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani still working their way back from injuries, there’s a chance the Dodgers will need Sasaki to start in the playoffs. And while Sasaki has sounded open to pitching in relief in October again, he also seems determined to remain a starter through the regular season. In that case, how will he prepare to close? Last year, Sasaki pitched in relief twice in the minor leagues and twice in the final week of the regular season.

For now, as Sasaki continues taking turns in the rotation, ninth-inning opportunities will go to Scott, the $72-million left-hander who was the Dodgers’ closer in the three months Diaz missed to recover from an operation to remove loose bodies from his elbow.

Scott recorded a four-out save in a 7-6 victory over the Rockies on Tuesday, but the performance raised concerns instead of calming them. With a two-run lead in the ninth inning, Scott gave up a one-out double to Jake McCarthy. That was followed by a nine-pitch at-bat by Cole Carrigg, who grounded out to third base. Wiki Castro singled in McCarthy to narrow the Rockies’ deficit to one and place the tying run on first base.

Scott threw 27 pitches.

One shaky ninth inning doesn’t erase what Scott has done in his bounce-back season – he has a 2.32 earned-run average in 54 games – but visions of last year remain.

Who else could close for Dodgers?

Evan Phillips, who returned from Tommy John surgery this year, hasn’t allowed runs in eight of his last nine appearances. Jack Dreyer has posted a 1.69 ERA in his last 24 games.

Emmet Sheehan has started 20 games but was sent to the minors two weeks ago. Sheehan was called up this week as a reliever and it’s entirely possible that he’s better suited to pitch one inning instead of five or six, just as Sasaki was last year.

Alex Vesia has recorded crucial outs numerous times in his five years with the team, but Roberts is most comfortable with him as a fireman. Edgardo Henriquez looks the part, but his walk rate is a concern. 

The team’s preference would still be for Diaz to close. He’s a three-time All-Star with 260 career saves. The last time he pitched in the postseason was for the New York Mets in the 2024 National League Championship Series in which he shut out the Dodgers in 5 ⅓ innings over three games.

Diaz can’t be counted out – but he also can’t be counted on.

The Dodgers have to explore other options.