The Los Angeles Dodgers are navigating yet another season of multiple pitching injuries, with Edwin Díaz, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow among those most prominently impacted.
Díaz underwent right elbow surgery to remove loose bodies, Snell is having his operation on Tuesday, and Glasnow is shut down as he attempts to overcome back trouble.
News of Snell’s left elbow surgery was met by questions and intrigue given the revolutionary NanoNeedle that was used on Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal.
Blake Snell joining “Skubal Scope” group
Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the left elbow surgery on Skubal, and is also doing Snell’s. Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes Snell’s surgery is likely going to involve what agent Scott Boras has called the “Skubal Scope.”
“Our understanding is it’s going to be the nano scope. After getting more information, to be able to do that, is hopefully the shorter timeline,” Gomes said. That’s the hope and expectation right now. Obviously, don’t know 100% until we’re in there, but that’s what we’re expecting at this point.”
The hope had been Snell’s operation would allow for use of the NanoNeedle Scope 2.0, but that was going to be dependent on the location of the loose bodies in his throwing elbow. The new NanoNeedle features a much smaller diameter and for a variety of factors can result in a quicker recovery time.
Among them are the smaller incision made by the medical instrument, less damage caused to tissue and less fluid being required to insufflate the joint.
Typically, surgery to remove loose bodies is accompanied by a recovery of two to three months. As such, the Dodgers have only projected Díaz to return from his surgery at some point during the second half of the season.
Meanwhile, Skubal was back to playing light catch less than one week after his procedure. He also has thrown multiple bullpen sessions since having the loose body removed from his left elbow on May 6, albeit not yet at full intensity.
When Snell had the more traditional arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow during the 2019 season, he was out from late July until the middle of September.
Now as a beneficiary of the NanoNeedle, he conceivably could return to the Dodgers rotation in around six weeks.
Snell began the season on the 15-day injured list due to left shoulder fatigue and made just one start before starting to experience symptoms because of the loose bodies. That resulted in getting scratched from a scheduled start on May 15 and led to having surgery Tuesday.
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