Steve Webb
PHILADELPHIA — The Los Angeles Dodgers received a bit of a blow on Sunday as Blake Snell was officially placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to April 3. While the team hasn’t announced the specifics of the injury, it’s clear that the 32-year-old left-hander will miss at least one turn in the rotation, including what would have been his next start on Tuesday against the Nationals.
Snell’s early numbers in Dodger blue have been a bit of a mixed bag. He’s 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA, but a deeper look shows a 4.72 FIP and a 2.00 WHIP—indicating that he hasn’t quite found his full rhythm yet. His last outing against Atlanta on April 2 was rough; though not all the damage was his fault (errors hurt him), Snell still labored through four innings and didn’t seem totally in sync.
A Disrupted Rotation Plan
Snell’s injury comes at an especially tough time for the Dodgers, who are trying to stick to a rotation plan that gives Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki regular rest between starts—roughly once a week. With Snell now out, the Dodgers are staring down the possibility of a bullpen game or a spot starter on Wednesday.
Enter Matt Sauer
To help ease the burden, the Dodgers have recalled Matt Sauer from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Sauer, a right-handed pitcher, joined the organization this past offseason on a Minor League deal. He impressed enough in Spring Training to earn a non-roster invite and even made the trip to Japan for the team’s Tokyo Series.
Although he didn’t make the Opening Day roster, Sauer briefly appeared in the Dodgers’ exhibition game at the Tokyo Dome, pitching two-thirds of an inning. After being optioned to Triple-A, he has allowed just one run over three innings in one start for the OKC Baseball Club. Last season, he made 14 relief appearances with the Royals, and the Dodgers now hope he can provide some reliable innings as they navigate a short-term rotation shuffle.
Looking Ahead
For Snell, the hope is that this IL stint is more precautionary than concerning. After signing with the Dodgers early in the offseason, the two-time Cy Young Award winner spoke openly about how good it felt to have a normal spring and a clean slate heading into 2024. Fans were excited to see how he would thrive under those conditions.
Now, that excitement is on hold—at least for a little while.
In the meantime, the Dodgers will lean on their depth, both in the bullpen and the farm system. With young arms like Sauer and a core that includes Yamamoto, Sasaki, Glasnow, and (eventually) Clayton Kershaw, the rotation still has the potential to be among the best in baseball. But it’s another early reminder that even the deepest rosters will be tested over the course of a long season.
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