The Los Angeles Dodgers made an aggressive move during the offseason to fortify their starting rotation by signing Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million contract.
Snell was among the top starting pitchers available in free agency before the 2025 season began, and the Dodgers acted quickly to get out in front of a market that included several teams in search of help.
But that’s yet to pay off as Snell made just two starts before going on the 15-day injured list because of left shoulder inflammation. Snell was scheduled to resume throwing on Friday, along with Tyler Glasnow, but the left-hander got pushed back to Sunday.
Glasnow managed to do so but Snell did not because he is experiencing lingering shoulder trouble, according to Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
Blake Snell was supposed to start throwing again this road trip, but that didn’t end up happening because his shoulder is still bothering him
He and Tyler Glasnow (who has started throwing again this week) are both scheduled to check-in with team doctors tomorrow
— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) May 11, 2025
Next for Glasnow and Snell is meeting with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Monday. The visit was planned prior to the latest developments for both pitchers.
Nonetheless, this now marks a second time Snell’s expected throwing progression has stalled. He was briefly shut down upon being put on the injured list but managed to resume playing catch relatively quickly. Snell progressed to throwing a bullpen session but had to skip a second one because of left shoulder discomfort.
That prompted further examination of Snell, and he received an injection to treat the pain.
Blake Snell MRIs
After the Dodgers put Snell on the injured list, manager Dave Roberts said an MRI of his left shoulder was the “best-case scenario” as it did not reveal any structural damage.
Roberts then said a second MRI after Snell was scratched from his bullpen session still was encouraging because his shoulder remained structurally sound.
“I think for us, given the findings of the MRI, that we dodged a bullet,” Roberts said last month.
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