Blake Snell is back in the Dodgers rotation, returning to start Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays in Tampa, after missing four months on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation.
Blake is back. pic.twitter.com/iB6XB1EXsa
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 2, 2025
Snell’s last start came on April 2, one of only two starts thus far for the left-hander in the first season of a five-year contract with the Dodgers. The shoulder trouble was evident in the form of Snell walking twice as many as he struck out in both starts, with four bases
on balls and two strikeouts against both the Tigers and Braves.
Walks are a normal part of Snell’s game, with his 11-percent career walk rate, but they usually come with a strikeout rate in the thirties. During his minor league rehab assignment, Snell was much sharper, allowing two runs in 13⅔ innings with 24 strikeouts and five walks in four starts, split between Low-A Rancho Cucamonga, the Arizona Complex League, and Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Snell struck out 45.3 percent of his batters faced in the minors, and though four of his five walks came in his final start, for Oklahoma City last Saturday, it was a classic Snell start in which he also struck out seven and did not allow a run nor a hit.
Tyler Glasnow returned a few weeks back and has looked good, and now with Snell back to go with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Dodgers finally have the top of the rotation they envisioned, in addition to Shohei Ohtani continuing to stretch out — Wednesday night’s hip cramps notwithstanding.
Snell last season with San Francisco also had an extended stint on the injured list, that time over six weeks with a left groin strain. But once a healthy Snell returned in 2024, he was lights out down the stretch, allowing only 12 runs in his final 14 starts, with a minuscule 1.23 ERA and 38.1-percent strikeout rate.
Paul Gervase was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City to make room on the active roster. The 6’10 right-hander was acquired on Thursday from the Rays in a three-team trade. Gervase was active for the series opener on Friday night in Tampa, but did not pitch.
Zach Penrod was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Snell. The left-hander was acquired from the Red Sox for cash considerations on June 20, but did not pitch in the majors for Los Angeles. Penrod with Triple-A Oklahoma City had a 4.85 ERA in seven games, with his walks (13) nearly doubling his strikeouts (seven) in 13 innings.
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