The Los Angeles Dodgers had Edwin Díaz and Blake Snell undergo surgery to remove loose bodies from their respective throwing arm, which is resulting in an absence of multiple months for both pitchers.
Díaz, who had his surgery on April 22, is projected to return at some point in the second half of the season after having five loose bodies taken out. Díaz’s operation was the more traditional procedure that comes with a recovery of two to three months.
However, Snell benefitted from his being completed with the same NanoNeedle Scope 2.0 that was used on Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal.
One key difference between Tarik Skubal and Blake Snell
Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the surgery on each of the aforementioned pitchers. Where Skubal’s operation was a landmark case in MLB history, the expectation was Snell also being the beneficiary of the NanoNeedle would amount to a shorter recovery period.
However, David Vassegh reported on AM 570 L.A. Sports radio one key difference between the two left-handers is Skubal’s surgery entailed removing just one loose body and lasted 30 minutes. Comparatively, Snell’s procedure on May 19 involved the removal of multiple loose bodies and lasted two hours.
Despite the more extensive operation, he already has reported full range of motion and begun throwing plyometric balls. Snell is potentially going to play catch for the first time since his surgery on Friday.
Skubal was back to playing light catch less than one week after his May 6 procedure. He also threw multiple bullpen sessions less than two weeks later, albeit not yet at full intensity. Skubal then completed four innings in a simulated game on June 1 and could next progress to making a rehab start.
That all has him on track for a possible return to the Tigers rotation a mere five or six weeks after having elbow surgery.
But whether because Snell’s surgery was slightly different even if the same medical instrument was utilized, or just because of the Dodgers’ overall cautious approach, his timeline is already known to be much different than Skubal’s.
That effectively became the case when the Dodgers transferred Snell to the 60-day injured list. He now is not eligible to return until Friday, July 10.
When Snell had the traditional arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies in his left elbow as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays during the 2019 season, he was out from late July until the middle of September.
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