Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell was scratched from his Friday start hours before the opener of the Freeway Series against the Angels in Anaheim and placed on the 15-day injured list.
The Dodgers said the 33-year-old Snell was scratched due to loose bodies in his left elbow.
The IL move is retroactive to Tuesday.
The Dodgers are now listing right-hander Will Klein (1-2, 2.76 ERA) to be the first pitcher in what will be a bullpen game.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it hasn’t been decided whether or not Snell will require surgery. He did express confidence that the injury won’t be season-ending.
“We’re kind of talking through the potential of what’s next,” Roberts told reporters in the dugout at Angels Stadium. “I think at the end of the day, we feel confident he will be back with us this year but right now, no definitive (timetable).”
Roberts said Snell felt something in the back of the elbow while playing catch on Thursday.
Roberts said a non-surgical approach to the injury would include rest and cortisone shots to get the inflammation down.
“I think he is disappointed,” Roberts said of Snell. .”.. At the end of the day, he’s got to figure out what’s best for him and make that decision.”
The contest was slated to be Snell’s second appearance of the season. His season got off to a late start due to shoulder issues and he made his season debut last Saturday against the Atlanta Braves.
Snell struggled against the Braves as he allowed five runs (four earned) and six hits while throwing 77 pitches in just three innings. He struck out five and walked two while taking the loss.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner was limited to 11 starts last season due to a shoulder injury and went 5-4 with a 2.35 ERA in his first season with the Dodgers. In the postseason, he went 3-2 with a 3.18 ERA in six appearances (five starts) to help the Dodgers win the World Series.
Snell is 81-63 with a 3.17 ERA in 223 career starts over 11 major league seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays (2016-20), San Diego Padres (2021-23), San Francisco Giants (2024) and Dodgers.
Snell won the American League Cy Young with the Rays in 2018 and took National League honors in 2023 for the Padres.
Los Angeles recalled left-hander Charlie Barnes in a corresponding move. Barnes, 30, hasn’t appeared in a game for the Dodgers since being claimed off waivers from the Chicago Cubs last Saturday. He gave up four runs (three earned) in three innings in his one outing for the Cubs.
–Field Level Media
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