LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers made it clear that they needed to see Roki Sasaki dominate Minor League competition before the rookie right-hander could become a viable option for the big league club.

After his latest rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Sasaki would appear to have a more feasible path back to the Dodgers.

Sasaki struck out eight, walked four and allowed three runs on three hits in 4 2/3 innings on 90 pitches (52 strikes) against the Sacramento River Cats (Giants' Triple-A affiliate) on Tuesday at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

Encouragingly, Sasaki threw harder than he had in four prior starts for the Comets, hitting triple digits six times and averaging 98.6 mph with his fastball -- up 4 mph from his previous appearance . He also generated 16 whiffs, a season high f

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