The Dodgers made starter Blake Snell’s return official Tuesday, reinstating him from the injured list ahead of his start against the Kansas City Royals.
In a corresponding move, they optioned right-hander Charlie Barnes back to Triple-A just one day after they called him up and transferred Blake Treinen to the 60-day injured list.
Snell has been on the injured list for the majority of the 2026 season, beginning the year on the sidelines and only returning for one start before returning to the IL. He struggled with shoulder fatigue at the beginning of the year, making his return towards the beginning of May.
He made one start, allowing five runs—four earned—through three innings of work.
After his sole start of the season, Snell returned to the injured list with loose bodies in his elbow. After landing back on the injured list, Snell underwent the NanoNeedle procedure Dodgers starter Tarik Skubal underwent while he still pitched for the Detroit Tigers, speeding up his recovery.
He has been on his rehab assignment since July 29, pitching for Single-A Ontario and Triple-A Oklahoma City on seven occasions. Through his seven starts, Snell has thrown 19.2 innings and struck out 29 batters, allowing seven earned runs for a 3.20 ERA.
The left-hander has the potential to make a huge difference for the Dodgers, as he was one of their best pitchers when healthy last season. He had a 2.35 ERA through 61.1 innings pitched last season, striking out 72 batters.
Will Blake Snell Replace Anyone in the Rotation?
While Snell’s return would normally displace a rotation arm, the Dodgers currently have just five starters active—one shy of where they prefer to be.
Shohei Ohtani is currently injured, and after Emmet Sheehan went down to Triple-A following Tarik Skubal’s arrival, Snell can slot in to restore the Dodgers’ six-man rotation.
Alongside Skubal and Snell, Justin Wrobleski, Eric Lauer, Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will make up the Dodgers’ starters until another injured All-Star makes his way back.
Snell’s return will hopefully get the Dodgers back on the right track, as they’ve lost eight of their last 10 games. They look to be trending in the right direction, though, as they beat the Royals by a score of 6-5 on Monday. The second game of their three-game series against Kansas City begins at 7:10 p.m. PT.
