Blake Snell Potentially Going to be Unavailable for Opening Day

Oct 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell (7) throws during game five of the 2025 MLB World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The start of Spring Training is rapidly approaching for the Los Angeles Dodgers, which is going to be the beginning of planning out what the team hopes is another long year.

Although the Dodgers are avoiding starting another season with an international series, they've had back-to-back short offseasons as a result of winning consecutive World Series titles. Last year specifically they played into the beginning of November.

Part of that workload has caused lingering effects that may end up impacting the 2026 season.

According to Jack Harris of the California Post, Blake Snell had a delayed start to his offseason throwing program and might not be part of the Dodgers' Opening Day rotation.

Thus, Snell and the team decided to have the 33-year-old slow-play his winter throwing program this offseason. The plan, Snell said, is to still be ready for Opening Day in late March. But at this point, that is not seen as a certainty within the organization.

Snell missed four months last season due to left shoulder inflammation. His recovery twice was delayed because of continued discomfort that would return after Snell resumed throwing.

The Dodgers at that point exercised even more caution with Snell's rehab and prioritized having him available for the playoffs. He later admitted to being frustrated over the prolonged process but acknowledged being able to pitch in October was most important.

As the Dodgers were tasked with navigating the postseason with a shaky bullpen, manager Dave Roberts made a concerted effort to lean more heavily on the rotation. Snell proved to be a critical component of that equation.

He made five playoff starts, completing at least six innings in four of them. Snell's final time pitching in 2025 was a relief appearance in Game 7 of the World Series on three days of rest. He allowed just one hit and issued one walk over 1.1 scoreless innings.

Overall in the postseason, Snell went 3-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.00 WHIP across 34 innings pitched.

Impact of Dodgers possibly not having Blake Snell on Opening Day

The Dodgers have enough depth to manage if Snell isn't available for the start of the season. However, it would be an early wrench for the team to navigate considering they already were going to need some form of a six-man rotation.

Assuming the Dodgers put Snell on the 15-day injured list to begin the season, he would miss a minimum of 12 games.