Cody Snavely
WASHINGTON D.C.— The Los Angeles Dodgers made a statement this winter when the team signed two-time National League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to a massive 5-year, $182 million contract. However, the team is already feeling some heat.
Prior to the start of their three-game series against the Washington Nationals, the Dodgers placed Snell on the 15-day Injured List retroactive to April 3rd due to left shoulder inflammation.
Snell stated that the shoulder injury had been bothering him for about three weeks and was a factor in his first two starts in Dodger Blue at Dodger Stadium against the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves.
In those starts, Snell was noticeably wild, walking eight batters in nine innings, including four walks in four innings against the Braves, where he and the home plate umpire did not agree to the strike zone.
While the team is in D.C., continuing their celebration of the 2024 World Series with the traditional White House visit, Snell met with Dr. Neal ElAttrache to go over future steps.
In a pregame interview yesterday, Snell mentioned that his MRI came back clean, that his issue was inflammation, and that he would take five days off from throwing.
When Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked pregame about the situation, he was more dire, stating that “everything is on the table,” including PRP injections.
While those statements seem bleak, Dodgers insider David Vassegh stated on Dodger Territory that he only expects Snell to miss two to three starts and should rejoin the Dodgers rotation, a silver lining to what could’ve been a darker situation.
In his absence, at least for this series against the Nationals, the Dodgers will call upon Justin Wrobleski, who was recalled from Triple-A OKC today.
Wrboleski, 24, has only made one start in the minor leagues this year, tossing 5.1 scoreless innings, and was the first man up due to where his schedule lined up.
However, after a disastrous performance where Worbleki allowed eight runs on eight hits in five innings of work, the Dodgers could be considering other players.
Fellow right-hander Landon Knack is also “hovering around” D.C., according to Roberts, and will likely get the start or bulk of the innings on Wednesday during the series finale of this six-game road trip.
Right-handed pitcher Tony Gonsolin is undergoing a minor league rehab assignment and could rejoin the team by the end of April if all goes well.
In his first start, Gonsolin tossed 1.2 innings, allowing no runs while walking two batters on thirty-five pitches before giving way to the OKC Comets bullpen, where fellow righty Evan Phillips also appeared.
Last year, while not appearing in a Major League game, Gonsolin was very close to returning after completing his minor league rehab assignment, pitching to a 2.35 ERA across three starts. However, a back injury during spring training delayed his buildup this season.
Veteran left-handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw is progressing nicely in rehab from offseason toe and knee surgery. Still, even he is not expected to rejoin the team until mid-June at the earliest.
Another option that the Dodgers could turn to is righty Bobby Miller, who, since his second start of the 2024 season, has been a shell of his former rookie self.
Miller made his Triple-A debut last week for the OKC Comets and also appeared in relief, pitching to a collective 2.79 ERA in 9.2 innings of work. Still, the command has been an issue for Bobby, issuing eight walks while only striking out seven.
So, for now, it appears that these next two starts between Landon Knack and Justin Wrobleki will determine who stays with the team in Snell’s absence and who rejoins OKC.
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