Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell is highly unlikely to begin the 2026 season in the starting rotation due to ongoing shoulder issues. Manager Dave Roberts stated the odds of Snell starting are probably zero. Snell has been limited in spring training camp in Glendale, Arizona.
In Glendale, Arizona, at the Dodgers' spring training camp, the team has acknowledged that Blake Snell will not be ready for the season-opening rotation. "He’s not on a mound right now. He’s not in games," manager Dave Roberts said Saturday. "The odds of him starting the season are probably zero."
Snell, who signed a five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers, entered camp behind schedule after slowing his offseason throwing program due to lingering discomfort in his left shoulder. That issue sidelined him for four months on the injured list last year. At DodgerFest, Snell noted his shoulder "never felt great" even before the previous season began. Despite only two starts before his extended stint, he finished strong with a 5-4 record and 2.35 ERA over 61 1/3 innings in 11 starts. In the postseason, he allowed 12 earned runs in 34 innings for a 3.18 ERA across six appearances, five of which were starts.
Currently, Snell has progressed only to catch sessions at 90 feet during the first two weeks of camp. He is scheduled to advance to 120 feet, then 180 feet, before returning to the mound. However, with camp breaking on March 21, this timeline may not allow full preparation. The Dodgers aim to build starters to five innings and 75 pitches, involving bullpen sessions, facing hitters, and rehab games. No specific timeline has been set, but Snell is unlikely to pitch for the team before May.
"Last year, I had so much to prove," Snell said on Jan. 31. "I got way too excited and was really pushing to get to spring, get through spring. This year, I'm going to be a little slower just in how I ramp up -- be a lot more smarter on that."
The Dodgers face rotation uncertainties beyond Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow. Shohei Ohtani is expected to start but not fully built up. Contenders for spots include Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski, Gavin Stone, and River Ryan, some potentially in hybrid roles. "With pitching, you never know what's going to happen as far as the health part of it," Roberts said. "To have so many guys built up, obviously, just gives us a lot of optionality."
Despite injuries, the Dodgers won back-to-back World Series and have constructed their roster to handle adversity in pursuit of a three-peat.
