Blake Snell is scheduled to make one more rehab start next Tuesday, with Triple-A Oklahoma City at Salt Lake City next on the left-hander’s return path. The outing will be Snell’s fourth rehab start this time around, keeping him in the minors for at least one more step before the Dodgers consider activating him.
Snell threw 60 pitches in four scoreless innings for Class-A Ontario on Wednesday night, and the Dodgers spent Thursday weighing whether he needed another minor-league start. Dave Roberts said the club would huddle up on the next step, and the answer now appears to be a final rehab outing at the Triple-A level.
The timeline matters for the Dodgers because Snell remains a potential rotation addition after a stop-and-start road back from injury. He began this season on a rehab assignment for his shoulder, returned early because the Dodgers needed help in the rotation, and then went back on the injured list after one start. After May surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow, he is now trying to finish this latest buildup the right way.
Snell said his shoulder pain went away after the loose bodies came out, and he added that he feels much better now. He also said, “I’m 10 times better,” while noting that the next step for him is getting the curveball going. That lines up with the Dodgers’ preference to keep the workload moving forward carefully, especially after Snell said he did not want to challenge the process of building up to five innings again after getting hurt last time.
There is also some wider roster context around the club’s pitching staff. Brock Stewart went on the injured list Friday with a sore shoulder, though Roberts said the issue should be short term and that the team was being proactive. Will Smith’s recovery from an inflamed disc in his neck is also taking a significant step forward this weekend, underscoring a busy stretch of updates for the Dodgers.
For now, the key date is next Tuesday. If Snell gets through that start cleanly, the Dodgers will have a better sense of when they can add a starter back to the rotation. More on the broader pitching picture is available in this Zyhir Hope update: Blake Snell set for one more rehab start as Dodgers eye five-inning target.
