Blake Snell is among the Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers making their way back from injury after he reported to Camelback Ranch behind schedule because of left shoulder trouble.
Snell didn’t have a normal offseason throwing program because of shoulder discomfort that resurfaced after he threw 34 innings for the Dodgers in the 2025 playoffs. He previously dealt with left shoulder inflammation that caused him to miss four months of the regular season.
Snell entered Spring Training this year with a different mindset, not wanting to rush into baseball activities until he had made enough progress in his recovery. He recently threw his first bullpen session with the catcher squatting down and will continue ramping up in the weeks ahead.
Snell said it is his goal to pitch in a game for the Dodgers before the end of April, via Jack Harris of the California Post:
Blake Snell said his goal is to be back before the end of April –– but that he and the team are still nailing down an exact timeline
Dave Roberts said six weeks is "the floor" for how much longer his recovery will take. Today, Snell's bullpen was only 15 pitches, all fastballs,… https://t.co/QYFO2IbvJJ
— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) March 13, 2026
Snell was already likely to begin the 2026 season on the injured list, so his timeline for potentially pitching in a game with the Dodgers appears to be realistic as long as he continues making steady progress.
Snell’s most recent bullpen session was considered low-intensity, with his fastball sitting in the 87-89 mph range. He will have to build up to throwing more traditional bullpen sessions before facing hitters, and then potentially begin a Minor League rehab assignment ahead of rejoining the Dodgers’ starting rotation.
Dodgers starting rotation without Blake Snell
With Snell and Gavin Stone expected to miss the start of the 2026 season with respective injuries, the Dodgers are likely to have an initial starting rotation of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, and one of Emmet Sheehan, River Ryan, or Justin Wrobleski.
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