Dodgers Interview: Will Blake Snell Pitch Opening Day? Dodgers’ Dave Roberts Provides Final Answer
CAMELBACK RANCH, AZ — Saturday brings the first split-squad day of the spring for the Dodgers, with one group facing the Cubs and the other taking on the Rangers. Before everyone scattered to their separate schedules, Dave Roberts spent most of his time talking pitching, and the top headline was Blake Snell. The Dodgers are still playing the long game with their big lefty, and Roberts was pretty direct about where things stand and what the next steps look like.
Asked if we might see Snell back on a mound soon, Roberts said, “No, not really. I think the next step is for Blake to build up to 120 feet to 180, to then get on a mound. When that is, I don’t see it in the next week for sure. So then I think we’ll just kind of see where we go from there.”
Roberts also went deeper on the bigger picture of Snell’s approach after last season. “Last year he was on a new team,” Roberts said. “He pushed through things to start the season healthy, which is understandable, and you learn from it.” He laid out the priority in plain terms. “This year he wants to make sure that he is ready to go and once he starts, start healthy and finish strong,” Roberts said. “We need him. We count on him. We believe in him.” And yes, Roberts acknowledged the personal goals that come with a pitcher like Snell. “I do think that he wants to get another Cy Young,” Roberts said. “What that means is you’ve got to be healthy. You’ve got to make starts. At the end of the day, he’s got to be healthy, and we’re going to do whatever we can to make that happen.”
With Snell still in the build-up phase, Roberts said he understands why there hasn’t been much to say publicly yet. “I think that he wants to be healthy. He wants to be out there,” Roberts said. “There’s probably not a whole lot to say. He’s not on the mound right now. He’s not in games.” Roberts also offered a blunt reality check about the timeline. “The odds of him starting his season are probably zero,” he said. “For him, he needs to do his work to get back on the field.”
From there, Roberts shifted to the pitchers who are taking the ball right now, starting with Justin Wrobleski getting the nod on Saturday. Roberts said the Dodgers still view him as a starter and want him thinking that way. “We see him as a starter,” Roberts said. “Expecting him to go two innings today, build up, and I want him to have that mentality to be a starter and see where that takes us here in the next few weeks.” He added that the confidence is real and earned. “Justin has got a lot of confidence right now, rightfully so, and just expect him to keep building on it.”
Roberts said the whole hybrid group matters early, because pitching plans change fast across a long season. “It’s huge,” he said. “With pitching, you just never know what’s going to happen as far as the health part of it. So to have as many guys built up gives a lot of optionality.” He mentioned Emmet Sheehan in that same bucket and said the overall point is simple. “Building these guys up is the goal,” Roberts said.
When asked when the Dodgers start lining up a more regular starting schedule, Roberts said that part is still fluid. “It’s going to be interesting,” he said. “Trying to get Blake up to speed, and we have a number of guys that we’re trying to build up. Whether it’s a five or six day schedule, I think that’s individual dependent.” He said the staff is focused on innings now. “We’re trying to get these guys up to four or five innings,” Roberts said, “there’s probably six or seven guys that are in that bucket.”
Emmet Sheehan, specifically, is close to game action. “Yes,” Roberts said. “He’s very close to getting in again.”
On the bullpen side, Roberts said Tanner Scott’s spring focus has been his breaking ball. “Tanner getting a grasp on his slider is one thing,” Roberts said. “Whether it’s grips, shapes, both.” He expects the velocity to climb as the spring intensity rises. “You would expect that the velocity will be consistent as we build up,” Roberts said, “the velocity will tick up with the adrenaline.” And he circled back to the only real measuring stick that matters. “It’s more waiting to see him face some major league hitters and see how it plays,” Roberts said. “I do expect him to have a much better season than he did last year. The hitters will tell you.”
Roberts also gave a broader answer on last season’s bullpen struggles, calling it a mix of factors that varied by pitcher. “I think it’s a combo,” he said. “All of the above.” He mentioned injuries, performance, and the mental side, and said he expects improvement in 2026. “I think that they’re going to be better this year,” Roberts said.
He pointed to the veterans as a key part of stabilizing everything. “Tanner’s a big part of it,” Roberts said, along with Edwin Díaz at the back end and getting Alex Vesia back. He also mentioned Blake Treinen. “Having guys that you trust is everything for the pen,” Roberts said, and he tied that trust to giving the rest of the group space to grow. “That gives guys like Jack Dreyer and different guys some breathing room,” he said. “You’ve got to count on those veteran guys for sure.”
It’s still early, and Saturday’s split-squad day is one more step in the build. The Snell news is the headline because it shapes the calendar, but Roberts made the larger point clear too: the Dodgers want options, they want innings, and they want as many arms ready as possible once the spring starts turning toward games that matter.
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