The Los Angeles Dodgers are patiently awaiting Blake Snell’s return from the 60-day injured list as he recovers from left elbow surgery. In the meantime, the 33-year-old reached an important personal milestone on Friday by reaching 10 years of service time.
He is the second Dodgers player to earn the accomplishment in 2026, with Edwin Díaz joining the 10-year fraternity last month.
Fewer than 10% of players in MLB history have accomplished the feat, making for an impressive accolade. James Paxton, Mookie Betts, Blake Treinen and Kiké Hernández were the most recent players to reach this point with the Dodgers in 2024.
Chris Taylor spent parts of 10 seasons in L.A. but the Dodgers released him in 2025 before he could reach the required service time. He still went on to earn his 10th year of MLB service with the Los Angeles Angels that season.
Snell is still fresh to the Dodgers organization, having joined the team for the 2025 season. He has not been on the field much during that time, as injuries have limited him to 12 regular-season starts since joining L.A.
10 Years of Service Time: the Holy Grail for Players. Throughout history, fewer than 10% of Players have possessed the combination of talent, health, resilience, perseverance and good fortune to achieve the feat. We kick off our July highlights with the most recent member to join… pic.twitter.com/kGTlid731b
— MLBPA (@MLBPA) July 31, 2026
Although Snell was absent for much of last season, he proved his worth during the Dodgers’ postseason run. The 11-year veteran was instrumental in getting the Dodgers to the World Series, with a dominant showing through the first three rounds of October.
He allowed just two earned runs while averaging seven innings per start and earned the win in all three appearances.
The Tampa Bay Rays originally selected Snell with the No. 52 overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft. He made his Major League debut in 2016 and spent five seasons in the Rays’ starting rotation.
The 2018 season remains the best of his career. He posted a 1.89 ERA over 180.2 innings, led the American League in wins and ERA, and earned the AL Cy Young Award.
The remaining six seasons of his career have been spent with the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants and Dodgers. In that time, he won the National League Cy Young Award and another ERA title with the Padres in 2023.
Blake Snell recovery update
The left-hander is nearing the end of his rehab assignment, which he has been on since July 18. He completed four innings in his most recent outing on Wednesday afternoon, recording eight strikeouts while allowing just one hit.
He is now set to begin his final rehab outing, and following that start next week, he should be able to join the Dodgers’ rotation after that.
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