Despite starting the season 9-3, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been worriedly monitoring the injury status of two-time Cy Young Blake Snell, who they signed to a five-year, $182 million contract in the offseason.
Snell pitched to a 2.00 ERA in his first two starts as a Dodger, but was placed on the injured list Sunday after experiencing left shoulder soreness during a bullpen session. An MRI later confirmed inflammation in his throwing arm.
The Dodgers gave a slightly worrying update on Snell's injury following the MRI, which has many Dodger fans worried.
#Dodgers Blake Snell had an MRI of his sore shoulder yesterday. Said it confirmed inflammation, no structural damage. Dave Roberts said hope it is a short-term thing. But Dr. Neal ElAttrache is here and will examine Snell. Treatment could include injections, Dave Roberts said
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) April 7, 2025
The latest update confirms the widespread belief that Snell's stint on the IL should be short-lived. Many fans are uneasy, however, that Dr. ElAttrache was called in to look at Snell. In addition to being the Dodgers' team doctor, Dr. ElAttrache is generally associated with serious injury, being the first call for Gerrit Cole with his Tommy John surgery in March and Shohei Ohtani with his elbow surgery in 2023.
One fan tweeted: "a meeting with Dr. Neal is never a good sign," with another writing: "why is Dr Neal around right now? I'm worried."
Manager Dave Roberts told the media that "everything is in play right now," referring to treatments for Snell's shoulder, including an injection to speed up his recovery.
The Dodgers' rotation has quite a bit of star-power: even with Snell out they can still reasonably rely on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, Dustin May and soon Tony Gonsolin to give them quality outings. However, Glasnow and Yamamoto each missed several months in 2024 due to injury and Sasaki has had command problems early in his MLB career.
Snell's injury history runs long, only throwing above 162 innings in two of his 10 major league seasons. The star lefty pitcher revealed on Monday that he had been dealing with shoulder inflammation for three weeks before landing on the injured list, adding an additional layer of concern to this stint.
The Dodgers recalled pitcher Matt Sauer to fill Snell's place on the roster.
