On Friday, prior to their initial game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, the Los Angeles Dodgers removed southpaw hurler Blake Snell from the lineup. The Dodgers subsequently disclosed that Snell had been moved to the injured list due to a condition involving loose bodies in his left elbow.
In 2019, Snell underwent an operation to extract detached fragments from his throwing elbow, resulting in his absence from late July until mid-September. The Dodgers have retroactively applied his injured list assignment to May 12 and brought up left-handed pitcher Charlie Barnes.
Regarding Friday’s matchup, the Dodgers shifted their plan to utilize right-handed relief pitcher Will Klein, who is scheduled to open the contest in what will be a bullpen game for the team currently leading the NL West.
The announcement of Snell’s most recent ailment follows a mere six-day period since the 33-year-old made his much-anticipated initial appearance of the season. Exhaustion in his shoulder, which contributed to a less rigorous off-season, ultimately kept him out of action at the beginning of the current year.
During his initial performance in the major leagues subsequent to Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, the former All-Star surrendered four earned runs and six base hits over merely three innings in a 7-2 defeat against the Atlanta Braves last Saturday.
Notwithstanding these statistics, Dave Roberts, the Dodgers’ manager, characterized Snell’s showing as “a foundation to develop from,” as reported by The Los Angeles Times.
Considering everything, even though Snell allowed two walks when facing the Braves the previous week, he did manage to strike out five hitters. However, it now appears he will probably need to shake off additional sluggishness whenever he next pitches.
Snell has been recognized with the Cy Young Award on two occasions. He received this accolade in both 2018 and 2023, achieving the lowest ERA in MLB during each of those years, initially with the Tampa Bay Rays and subsequently with the San Diego Padres.
During the 2024 season, he accomplished a no-hitter while pitching for the San Francisco Giants. The previous year, his inaugural season with the Dodgers, he undertook a substantial amount of work during the postseason. The experienced left-hander participated in six games, five of which were starts, accumulating 41 strikeouts across 34 innings pitched and assisting the Dodgers in retaining their World Series championship. Throughout this period, he recorded a playoff ERA of 3.18. Although Snell encountered difficulties in his two World Series starts, both resulting in losses to the Toronto Blue Jays, he managed to pitch 1 1/3 scoreless innings in a Game 7 relief role.
Prior in the season, he was sidelined for four months on the injured list due to an issue with his pitching shoulder. This past offseason, Snell communicated to reporters that his shoulder “was consistently bothersome” the previous year subsequent to his signing with the team on what was reported as a five-year contract valued at $182 million.
Snell adopted a more cautious strategy on this occasion; however, when presented with the chance to pitch last week against the Braves — due to Tyler Glasnow moving to the injured list — he opted to return to the Dodgers’ starting rotation instead of undertaking one concluding minor-league rehabilitation appearance.
Under seven days afterward, he has once again been placed on the injured list, this time due to detached fragments in his left elbow.
