Dodgers' Blake Snell Gives Critical Injury Update Heading Into Postseason

The latest on the two-time Cy Young award winner.

Sep 26, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell (7) walks onto the field before the start of the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to begin their quest to become baseball's first three-peat champion in a quarter-century on Saturday. Despite 100 regular season wins, it still felt like the two-time defending champions limped towards the finish line.

As has become commonplace around the organization, the Dodgers dealt with many injuries across their roster. Perhaps most devastating with just two games to go in the regular season, (and just seven games back on the mound after a nearly three-month stint on the IL), top relief pitcher Blake Treinen injured his shoulder while warming up and is now out for the season.

Two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell was feared to have suffered a similar fate during his second-to-last start of the regular season about 10 days prior. The southpaw who was pitching on four days' rest left after just one inning as he cited groin discomfort as the reason for trotting off the mound, into the dugout and directly back into the clubhouse.

After nine days of rest for Snell, fans were able to watch him jog back out to the mound and make his next start. This time, he went four innings (77 pitches), allowed one earned run and struck out three batters. Though it was far from one of his most efficient performances, the southpaw was pleased with the health of his groin after the outing.

“Really encouraged by it, and just happy to get my legs underneath me and get going and completely move past the groin. I mean, it felt great today, and the velo was good,” Snell said. “I’ve got to figure my body out a little more, but I got a week to do so, and I’m really looking forward to that.”

Snell started his 2026 campaign in early May due to shoulder fatigue that caused him to land on the injured list in March, but after he allowed four earned runs in three innings in his first start of the year, he returned to the IL. He remained on the shelf for over three months as he underwent a procedure to remove loose bodies in his elbow.

It was a similar story to the 2025 season where Snell made his first two starts in a Dodgers uniform and was then out of commission for four months due to shoulder inflammation. He returned with a 2.41 ERA for the remainder of the regular season and a 3.18 mark in the postseason, including a 10-strikeout, one-hit masterpiece to open up the NLCS.

The Dodgers will hope for a similar story in the 2026 postseason. Snell is expected to pitch Game 3 of the NLDS, after Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tarik Skubal.

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