Less than a week after making his season debut, Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell was put on the 15-day injured list Friday because of loose bodies in his left elbow.
The Dodgers scratched him from what would have been his second start of the season Friday against the Angels and backdated the IL move to May 12. They pivoted to a bullpen game and recalled left-hander Charlie Barnes, who was claimed off waivers from the Cubs last week.
“We’re still talking through what’s next,” manager Dave Roberts said before the Dodgers’ 6-0 win at Angel Stadium. “At the end of the day, we feel confident that he’s going to be back with us this year.”
Roberts said Snell could have surgery or choose pain and inflammation management.
Surgery, however, is the likely outcome, according to people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. It’s unclear how invasive a potential surgical procedure would be — a significant factor in determining how much time Snell could miss. One person briefed on the matter projected Snell to return in late July or early August.
The timelines vary widely for pitchers with similar injuries, dictated by factors including the number, size and location of the loose bodies — a term to describe bone chips or cartilage floating freely within joint fluid.
Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz, who had five loose bodies removed from his elbow in late April, isn’t expected to return until after the All-Star break.
Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, however, was playing catch a little over a week after undergoing a minimally invasive procedure to remove a bone chip from his elbow.
Snell underwent a procedure in 2019 to remove loose bodies from his left elbow. He was on the IL for nearly two months.
The injury flared while he played catch this week, according to Roberts.
Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell delivers against the Atlanta Braves on May 9 at Dodger Stadium.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
“Just felt something in the back of his elbow and just couldn’t continue,” Roberts said.
Snell began the season on the injured list, after starting his season ramp-up late because of what the Dodgers described as left shoulder fatigue. He gave up four earned runs in three innings against the Braves last week.
Snell became the second Dodgers starter to land on the injured list in the span of a week, joining Tyler Glasnow (lower back spasms), dramatically thinning the Dodgers’ starting pitching depth, which appeared to be a strength going into the season.
The Dodgers initially hoped Glasnow would avoid an IL stint. But now he’s projected to be out for longer than the 15-day minimum.
“It seems like every year we go through it,” Roberts said. “What I have learned is we get through it. It doesn’t feel great when you’re in it. … In baseball it happens all the time with pitching. So here we are.”
As of Friday, Roberts didn’t have a long-term plan for filling Snell’s spot in the rotation. The Dodgers prefer a six-man rotation to manage their starters’ workloads.
“Right now, I don’t know if we have six candidates,” Roberts said.
Roberts said that calling up River Ryan was a “slim possibility,” considering the right-hander’s progression after an IL stint. Ryan was activated by triple-A affiliate Oklahoma City on Friday, and he gave up just one run and two hits in four innings.
“I think we’re prepared to do whatever we can,” Roberts said. “But I will say the most important thing is to keep the guys on their schedules, not try to push too much because of circumstances with the rotation because then you start to compromise their health. So whether we backfill somehow or do bullpen days, we’re prepared to do whatever it takes.”
The bullpen game against the Angels worked as well as the Dodgers could have hoped. They used eight relievers, each tossing an inning except for opener Will Klein, who covered two. They combined for a two-hit shutout.
“Tonight was one of those nights that there was no other alternative,” Roberts said. “We’re trying to win as many games as we can, and you just hope that the guys that are starting can take a lot of outs, so they don’t put more added stress on the ‘pen.”
