Blake Snell has continued to make progress in his return to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he’s now set to take the next step in his rehab progression.
Senll will throw a 15-pitch bullpen on Friday at Dodger Stadium using only fastballs, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shared. He is expected to throw four bullpen sessions before he can progress to the next steps.
Within those four bullpen sessions, he should also start mixing in breaking balls and offspeed pitches.
If the four bullpens go well, then Snell could potentially start facing hitters. However, that remains something down the line and not particularly close.
Snell is recovering from left elbow surgery he underwent on May 19 to remove loose bodies. The surgery went well, and it used the new NanoNeedle technology that helps speed up the rehab process.
Snell started playing catch in early June and has been progressing nicely overall.
“Blake’s doing well Blake’s done really well. Blake has come along really well,” Roberts said in the middle of June “Not sure when he’s going to face hitters, but that’s obviously down the road. But throwing, playing catch, feels good.”
There’s no set timeline for when Snell will return, but he still has to throw the bullpen sessions, face hitters and go out on a rehab assignment that should last around one month.
“I think a lot of times when a guy is coming off surgery, it’s different than in the offseason, but the buildup is like any season,” Roberts said in early June. “There’s the rehab part of it, the progression.
“I don’t know about the timeline, but it’s going to be a ways. We’re going to make sure that we take care of him. But I know Blake’s going to want to speed this process up.”
Snell is not eligible to be activated until Friday, July 10, after the Dodgers transferred him to the 60-day injured list on May 29. However, he would not return until after that day, anyway.
Blake Snell 2026 season
Snell made just one start this season after beginning the year on the injured list while continuing to rehab his left shoulder. He pitched only three innings and wasn’t particularly sharp, but his stuff was still effective.
After that, Snell was scratched from his next scheduled start due to the loose bodies. The Dodgers ended up placing him on the IL again and then determined surgery was the best course of action.
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