The Dodgers are heading into the All-Star break with the best record in baseball, and one of their biggest reinforcements is starting to come into view. Blake Snell, who has been sidelined for most of the season, is set to begin a rehab assignment this week, giving Los Angeles a clearer path to getting the left-hander back on the mound.
Snell has appeared in only one game this year. He opened the season on the injured list because of shoulder fatigue, returned for one start, then landed back on the IL and had surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow.
Now the recovery process is finally moving into its next phase. Manager Dave Roberts said Snell will go out on rehab next week, and pitching coach Mark Prior said the expectation is that he’ll need four or five outings before he’s ready to return.
“The goal would be to get him fully built up to 90-ish pitches before he comes back,” Prior said to the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles has been careful with Snell throughout the process, and Roberts said the veteran is in a better place now than he was during his first return attempt in May.
"He says he feels better right now than he did when he returned before," Roberts said.
Snell has also said he is pain-free, a promising sign for a pitcher the Dodgers have been waiting on for months. He underwent the NanoNeedle procedure, which has been credited with shortening recovery time for players. Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal was the first player in baseball to have the procedure, and it significantly reduced his time on the injured list.
The Dodgers are hoping Snell can be the same force he was during last year’s title run. He was a key part of Los Angeles winning the World Series a year ago, posting a 3.18 ERA over 34 postseason innings.
If the rehab assignment goes as expected, Snell should be built up to five innings and 75-90 pitches before he returns. With four or five rehab outings ahead of him, a return by the middle of August looks likely.
That would give him more than a month to get back into rhythm before the postseason push, and plenty of time for the Dodgers to see the version of Snell they’ve been waiting for.
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