Over the past week, it seemed like the Dodgers were finally getting some good news on Blake Snell's progress. He went onto the IL after just two starts and was fully shut down for over a month despite MRIs coming back clean, but he started throwing on flat ground on Thursday on the heels of Tyler Glasnow taking the same step a few days before. There was still going to be a long road ahead for both of them, but a first step is a first step.
However, the Dodgers' roster move on Saturday confirmed that fans are going to be kept waiting even longer to see Snell back on the mound. Clayton Kershaw was activated for his much anticipated season debut against the Angels, reliever Ryan Loutos was optioned to Triple-A, and Snell was moved to the 60-day IL.
Blake Snell moved to Dodgers' 60-day IL as Clayton Kershaw returns to roster
This doesn't necessarily effect Snell's already dubious timeline, given that he's already been down for six weeks, but it confirms that the Dodgers are still very much treading lightly with him and that the road to recovery is going to be long. He'll need to ramp up from throwing on flat ground through all of the other requisite steps and then go on a rehab assignment, which could take weeks still, especially if he encounters more setbacks.
It's ironic that PoBO Andrew Friedman said during Snell's introductory press conference that the Dodgers were stocking up on starting pitchers because they were naive to believe they had enough depth last season. All of that renewed depth has been almost completely chewed through just 1/4 of the way through the season — with this Snell move, with Glasnow's timeline still being murky, and with Roki Sasaki now on the 15-day IL.
The only good news here is that if Snell does have to stay out deep into the season, the Dodgers will be closer to the trade deadline than not, where they'll be able to overcrowd the roster with even more starting pitchers. It'll probably create a massive roster crunch headache for them down the line, but there's really nothing else they can do if they have a rotation full of pitchers coming off of injuries and who they're unwilling to stretch long into games.
Kershaw's return is, of course, a welcome one, but the corresponding Snell move really ruins the vibe.
