Blake Snell hit a notable career marker on Friday, reaching 10 years of Major League service time while the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to wait on his return from the 60-day injured list.
Snell, 33, is working his way back from left elbow surgery, but the milestone still puts him in rare company. Fewer than 10% of players in MLB history have reached 10 years of service time, and Snell became the second Dodgers player in 2026 to do it, after Edwin Díaz last month.
For the Dodgers, it’s another reminder of how quickly service time can stack up even when a player’s time in uniform has been interrupted. James Paxton, Mookie Betts, Blake Treinen and Kiké Hernández were the last Dodgers to get there in 2024.
Chris Taylor spent parts of 10 seasons in Los Angeles, but the Dodgers released him in 2025 before he could hit the threshold. He still finished that season with 10 years of MLB service after joining the Los Angeles Angels.
Snell is still a relatively new face in Dodger blue, having signed on for the 2025 season. Injuries have limited him to just 12 regular-season starts since arriving in L.A., but he still made a major impact when it mattered most.
Last October, the 11-year veteran was a key piece of the Dodgers’ postseason push to the World Series. Through the first three rounds, he was dominant: two earned runs allowed, seven innings per start on average, and wins in all three outings.
The path to this point has been a long one for Snell, who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays with the No. 52 overall pick in 2011. He debuted in the majors in 2016 and spent five seasons in Tampa Bay’s rotation. His peak came in 2018, when he put up a 1.89 ERA over 180.2 innings, led the American League in wins and ERA, and won the AL Cy Young Award.
Since then, Snell has spent six seasons with the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants and Dodgers. That stretch also included another Cy Young Award and an additional ERA title with San Diego in 2023.
Now the focus shifts back to the mound. Snell has been on a rehab assignment since July 18 and appears close to finishing the process.
In his most recent outing on Wednesday afternoon, he worked four innings, struck out eight and allowed just one hit. He is slated for one final rehab start next week, after which he should be ready to rejoin the Dodgers’ rotation.
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