Blake Snell is moving closer to a return, and the Dodgers left-hander says the biggest hurdle is already behind him.
Snell, who made just one start this season in May before elbow surgery, told The Orange County Register last week, "I'm so good right now," Snell told The Orange County Register last week. "I can't wait to pitch."
He said he was "pain-free" two months after the operation, which removed loose bodies from his elbow. Snell also said the shoulder pain that had lingered alongside the elbow issue has gotten better. Over the weekend, he reached another checkpoint in the recovery process by throwing to live batters for the first time.
Snell and Tarik Skubal both had surgery using the 'NanoNeedle' technique, a procedure that removes loose bodies through a tiny puncture and cuts down recovery time. Skubal was back on the mound on June 13, only two weeks after Snell had his surgery. But Snell made clear the two cases were not the same.
"It was two different surgeries," Snell said. "His was 30 minutes.
They chipped the bone down, took the bone out. I had bones on each side of my elbow and through my canal [in the back of the joint].
So it was a two-and-a-half hour surgery compared to 30 minutes. It’s two different surgeries.
A lot more was done.”
That difference matters when looking at the timeline, even if the Dodgers would love a similar outcome. Skubal has not been at his usual level since his procedure, but he still owns a 3.62 ERA and a 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings rate.
Snell has thrown just three innings in 2026. Last season, he posted a 2.35 ERA for the Dodgers, though left shoulder problems limited him to 11 regular season starts.
For Snell, the time away has also become a reset of sorts. He said he is trying to build habits that will keep him on the field longer going forward.
“I’ll be better. I believe it,” Snell said.
“I think there’s a lot more I can do. I’ve just got to get healthy and stay healthy.
I’m taking all the right steps. I’m taking my diet seriously.
My workouts, Pilates - I feel like I’m doing everything I can to play.
“This is part of it which sucks. I’m not accepting it.
It just is what it is. All I can do now is every day do what I can to ensure I can pitch full seasons and be healthy.”
The Dodgers are scheduled to return Friday, July 17 against the New York Yankees, and Snell is expected back sometime in mid-August.
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