The Los Angeles Dodgers Blake Snell will not make his scheduled start tonight, according to Katie Woo of The Athletic. Los Angeles will go with a bullpen game, likely with right-hander Will Klein to serve as the opener. Snell is reportedly being placed on the IL retroactive to May 12 with “loose bodies” in his throwing elbow, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
The Dodgers are scratching Blake Snell ahead of his start against the Angels tonight. They’ll go with a bullpen game instead, likely with Will Klein to start. #Dodgers
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) May 15, 2026
Recovery Time
Snell was scheduled to make his second start of the season against the Los Angeles Angels. He had previously been on the Injured List since Spring Training with shoulder fatigue, a consequence of a long postseason run in 2025. His rehab outings were abbreviated on his way back to the big leagues, and he came back a week earlier than previously thought to take Tyler Glasnow’s place, who has been recently sidelined himself with back spasms.
Rusty?
The veteran’s inaugural start didn’t go as smoothly as planned against the National League’s best Atlanta Braves. Snell went only three innings, gave up five runs, four of which were earned, and he threw a lot of pitches early. If there was a silver lining to the outing, it was that there wasn’t a ton of hard contact. Some bloops and balls found their way into holes. Snell said that he “learned a lot, but admitted it was “frustrating.” The left-hander said that he felt good after the game; he just needed to pitch better.
Starting Rotation Takes Another Hit
The Dodgers are hoping that Snell will miss minimal time. They hoped that Glasnow would do the same; however, it appears the Dodgers will “take their time” before reinserting the right-hander into the starting rotation. The Dodgers are going to have to utilize the depth that has made them famous. For what it’s worth, Emmet Sheehan did his part last night. He pitched a quality start, going six innings and allowing just two runs. It is debatable whether or not he should have been charged with them in the first place, given that there was a misplayed ball in left field. In any case, the bullpen should be able to handle the workload, at least for tonight.
Los Angeles, on the other hand, is no doubt hoping Snell’s absence is short-lived.
Main Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
