Dodgers Put Blake Snell on IL After 1 Start With Left Elbow Loose Bodies

8 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · May 15

Six days after his 2026 debut, Blake Snell was scratched from Friday’s start against the Angels and placed on the injured list, backdated to May 12.
Left elbow loose bodies prompted the move, and the Dodgers turned to right-hander Will Klein to open a bullpen game in Snell’s place.
Snell’s lone outing this season lasted 3 innings against Atlanta, when he gave up 4 earned runs and 6 hits in a 7-2 loss.
The setback extends a long durability record for the $182 million left-hander, who also missed the start of 2026 with shoulder fatigue and underwent elbow surgery for loose bodies in 2019.

Is Blake Snell's $182M contract already a bust, or just the price for another Dodgers' World Series?

Could a radical new surgery get Snell back on the mound months ahead of schedule?

Is this injury another calculated setback before a dominant postseason, or is the ace's body finally failing him?