Blake Snell played a key role in the Los Angeles Dodgers repeating as World Series champions in 2025, but he was also limited to just 61.1 innings during the season due to left shoulder inflammation.
Snell added another 34 innings during the postseason run, but he may have never been fully healthy during October. That took an additional toll on his arm, but it’s one he has no regrets over after winning his first championship.
Snell finished the postseason with a 3.18 ERA, and it took nearly everything out of him, he told Jack Harris of the California Post:
In the aftermath of the Dodgers’ Fall Classic triumph in Toronto –– which was still not even three months ago –– Snell’s arm was “tired” and “exhausted,” he acknowledged Thursday, following five postseason starts plus a critical relief appearance in Game 7 against the Blue Jays.
“I was happy I was able to pitch the whole time,” the left-hander told The California Post during a Dodgers charity event at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. “But it was tough.”
With Spring Training just roughly two weeks away, the Dodgers plan to slow-play Snell’s ramp up and will exercise patience in gettim the left-hander ready for the 2026 season:
“You want to ramp up, but I gotta take my time and get healthy,” said Snell, the two-time Cy Young Award winner who returned from a long-term shoulder injury last summer to play a starring role in the Dodgers’ title trek.
“I feel like I’m doing the right thing. I feel good. I’ve been throwing. It feels better. In the postseason, I gave everything I had for that. But on the front end of spring, I’ll have to be patient and let my body get to 100%.
“That’s what I’m learning talking with (the team). Don’t rush. Be patient. Make sure you’re 100%. And that’s what’s awesome about the organization. They really are focused on your health and well-being.”
It’s unclear if Snell will be ready to go on Opening Day, but if he’s not on the injured list, he will likely have a hard innings or pitch count cap.
The Dodgers have typically shied away from pushing players during the regular season, and especially early on, to focus on having them ready for October.
Dodgers rotation depth without Blake Snell
The depth affords the Dodgers more time for Snell to heal up, and they have multiple other pitchers returning from injury, including Gavin Stone, River Ryan and Kyle Hurt, who could all pitch in the rotation.
Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski and Roki Sasaki will also help round out the Dodgers’ rotation to begin the year, while Landon Knack should serve as additional depth.
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