Former Cy Young Award Winner To Make Season Debut For Padres

The San Diego Padres are receiving a huge boost to their pitching rotation.

Starting pitcher Blake Snell, who is a former Cy Young Award winner and one-time All-Star, has been activated from the 10-day IL and is slated to make his season debut tonight against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The left-hander was originally supposed to make his season debut back in April, but he would end up getting scratched from his start due to soreness to his groin area, which would eventually lead to Snell being placed on the 10-day IL due to an adductor strain.

The Padres say Blake Snell has left adductor tightness. He left his final start last season with the same kind of injury.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) April 10, 2022

Prior to his activation, Snell had completed three minor-league rehab starts, with no setbacks.

While Snell will certainly help a San Diego team that has had a great start to the season, it is important to note that Snell struggled for the majority of his first season with the Padres, although he did finish off the season on an absolute tear prior to a groin injury he picked up near the end of last season.

Snell disappointingly finished last season with the second-highest ERA of his career at 4.20, although one promising sign from that season is that he also recorded the second-highest strikeout total of his career, and the Padres pitcher still finished the season with a positive record despite his heavy struggles.

Ever since Snell won the Cy Young Award and became an All-Star back in his third season, the 7-year starting pitcher has not come anywhere close to replicating the success and accomplishments he experienced back in 2018.

Although, if Snell can somehow rebound from his injury and play anywhere close to the level of that peak All-Star season, then the San Diego Padres could look like a very scary team for the rest of this season, and they will have to be if the team wishes to make the playoffs in the hypercompetitive NL West division.