Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell is on the right track to getting back on the mound.
The former Cy Young award winner is starting to throw to the mound, dating back to the end of Spring Training, as he works himself back from shoulder discomfort.
Snell, who missed the early part of the 2025 season with shoulder problems, managed to get healthy at the right time for the Dodgers.
He pitched a lot of innings during the postseason, going deep into games and providing quality pitching to the Dodgers, who needed help on the mound.
However, at the arrival of Spring Training, Snell suffered some newfound shoulder discomfort, which led him to stop throwing immediately.
According to the pitcher, he pushed himself early in 2025 due to his excitement about joining the team, which led to his time on the injured list, and he wants to avoid an extended stay in 2026.
Snell is on the 15-day injured list, and according to manager Dave Roberts, he will be facing hitters after the Dodgers go on their road trip over the next week.
He will make his season debut in late May, per Roberts, giving him a month before pitching again.
The Dodgers could end up giving him some rehabilitation starts to get him fully ready, but live batting practice will serve as great preparation for his body.
The Dodgers’ biggest need
While Snell will certainly give the Dodgers depth and allow them to give their starters even more rest, Snell does not help the Dodgers’ biggest early-season concern — the offense.
The top of the lineup is not producing, letting a pitching staff that is firing down for most of the early handful of games.
If the offense does get to firing and Snell enters the fold, the Dodgers will be in great hands going forward and will end up getting a run of wins.
Also, it gives Los Angeles another quality pitcher to account for Shohei Ohtani’s part-time status as a hitter and pitcher.
The rotation is made up of all right-handers other than southpaw swing-man Justin Wrobleski, and Snell will help give the Dodgers a better match-up against left-handed hitters and give the rotation some more balance.
