Availability has been a major issue for Blake Snell during his tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers thus far. But he is also an invaluable contributor when on the mound, as evidenced by Snell’s performance during last year’s World Series run.
Although a left elbow injury has limited Snell to just one start so far this season, he has come out the other side in a more advantageous situation because of it. The procedure to remove loose bodies from his left elbow has not only alleviated pain from the affected area, but also Snell’s chronic shoulder pain, according to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group.
“I’m pain-free. I always had some form of pain, but you just battle through it. I thought it was just going to be there forever. I was, ‘Alright, it’s something I’m just going to have to deal with. I’ll battle through it.’ Then I had the surgery and as soon as I started throwing again I was, ‘Hey, my shoulder feels good.” I was in great spirits, just real happy. … I have no more pain in my arm. I throw freely. My body feels great. I can locate a pitch where I want too now. That’s pretty cool. All the time now, not just once in awhile.”
Snell first experienced left shoulder inflammation last season with the Dodgers. He wound up spending four months on the injured list because of the injury. It was a persistent issue that it limited him to just 11 starts due to multiple setbacks during the early stages of the rehab process.
The effect it had on Snell carried over into this season as well and he started 2026 on the 15-day IL due to left shoulder fatigue. From then, Snell was activated and made one start on May 9 before going back to the injured list with the aforementioned loose bodies in his left elbow.
As Snell tells it, the innovative NanoNeedle Scope 2.0 procedure was a blessing in disguise even if his timeline and operation details differ from that of Tarik Skubal.
Blake Snell rehab update
Snell has thrown multiple bullpen sessions during his rehab process, the latest of which came on Wednesday. Next up pitching to batters on Saturday, which will be his first time doing so since having surgery to remove the loose bodies.
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