Injury Troubles Begin for Dodgers Rotation As Key Starter Placed on IL

Last season, the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff was racked with injuries, from top to bottom, robbing them of the likes of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Walker Buehler, Dustin May, and of course Shohei Ohtani, who wasn't able to pitch all season.

It's only taken a couple of weeks for the injury bug to bite the Dodgers rotation this season, as new signee Blake Snell has come down with shoulder inflammation and has been placed on the IL.

Blake Snell lands on the IL with a shoulder injury pic.twitter.com/3Qf3RZCr1I
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 6, 2025

Snell threw a bullpen session in the morning, but was seen having a conversation with trainer Thomas Albert and GM Brandon Gomes afterward, before the decision was announced to shut him down.

The move is retroactive to April 3rd. The Dodgers recalled RHP Matt Sauer to take his spot on the roster.

Snell has struggled in his first two starts for LA, surrendering 10 hits and eight walks in 9 innings. Because of an error, only two of the seven runs allowed were earned, leaving him with a 2.00 ERA, but also a 2.00 WHIP.

The 32-year-old signed a five-year, $182 million deal with the World Series champions back in November, after an insane second half of the 2024 season that saw him post a 1.45 ERA with a 0.85 WHIP for the San Francisco Giants, while holding batters to a meager .133 average and .412 OPS.

Snell is a two-time Cy Young Award winner, in 2023 with the San Diego Padres, and 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays. He has a career 3.18 ERA and his 11.2 career strikeouts per nine innings is the highest in MLB history.