The Los Angeles Dodgers transferred Blake Snell to the 60-day injured list, which opened the 40-man roster spot necessary to activate Clayton Kershaw off the 60-day IL.
Snell was first placed on the 15-day IL on April 6, but it was backdated to April 3. He is now eligible to return on June 2 at the earliest.
Snell has been dealing with left shoulder inflammation, which he also dealt with in his first two starts of the season. He underwent multiple MRIs, and they showed encouraging results that surgery was not needed.
He did undergo an injection in his shoulder, and he was shut down from throwing while he let his shoulder get to a point where it was pain-free.
Snell visited with Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Tuesday and it came with positive news that he was able to resume throwing. He started playing catch again on Wednesday, throwing from about 60 feet.
There is no set timeline for when Snell will begin facing hitters again, but it likely won’t be anytime soon with him just resuming throwing.
This is the second time Snell has resumed throwing while on the IL. He previously started a throwing program after a few days of rest in early April, but that was shut down due to continued shoulder pain.
After initial optimism Snell would only miss two starts, that changed to him missing an extended amount of time. There’s still no timeline for his return, but even if his progression goes well, he’ll likely need around one month to build up his arm.
Blake Snell makes room for Clayton Kershaw
With Snell on the 60-day IL, the Dodgers reinstated Clayton Kershaw and optioned Ryan Loutos to Triple-A Oklahoma City before Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels.
Kershaw is off the injured list after having offseason surgeries on his left knee and toe. He was limited to just seven starts last year because of the injuries and is looking forward to helping the team this season.
“I’m excited to get going again and compete,” Kershaw said this week. “I want to be a contributing part of this team, so I’m excited to do that. It’s been a long time. I don’t take it for granted, getting to go out there and pitch at Dodger Stadium.
“Saturday will be fun if we win, but regardless it will be exciting to get back out.”
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