Already somewhat shorthanded in their starting rotation because of pitchers working their way back and needing to keep Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki on respective schedules of six days’ rest between outings, the Los Angeles Dodgers absorbed another loss earlier this month when Blake Snell was put on the 15-day injured list.
Snell was sidelined by left shoulder inflammation that he revealed was present through both of his starts to begin the season. Snell underwent an MRI that didn’t reveal any structural damage, and he was only shut down for one week before starting a throwing program.
Snell continued to deal with some lingering discomfort in his shoulder but advanced to throwing a bullpen session last week. The Dodgers remained optimistic his stint on the injured list would not be overly long, and there were discussions of Snell potentially returning without needing a rehab assignment.
But days after his first time working off the mound since his IL stint began, the 32-year-old was shut down for a second time. That wasn’t necessarily a complete shock given Snell admitted to his shoulder not yet feeling 100%.
However, he did add the caveat that discomfort primarily was present early in the mornings and there wasn’t much trouble whenever throwing.
Manager Dave Roberts nevertheless said the plan was for Snell to have a second MRI on his throwing shoulder once the Dodgers returned from their road trip.
Latest Blake Snell updates
Snell underwent an MRI on Thursday morning that still has the Dodgers feeling a sense of optimism due to it not revealing any “new findings.”
“So at some point I think he’ll get an injection to kind of calm it down, and then we’ll figure out when we pick up the throwing program,” Roberts added. “I think for us, given the findings of the MRI, that we dodged a bullet.”
The Dodgers still don’t have a timeline for Snell’s return, but Roberts reiterated the expectation is not that it will be prolonged.
“I don’t know what the extent of the length of time, but just knowing there’s no damage, is certainly a big relief,” Roberts said.
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