Snell faces hitters; Glasnow throws bullpen session

LOS ANGELES -- It has not been an uncommon sight to see Blake Snell on the Dodger Stadium mound this homestand, throwing his bullpen sessions from the bump while he rehabs from his May 19 procedure to remove loose bodies from his left elbow.

Ahead of Saturday afternoon's game against the D-backs, Snell had hitters in the batter's box taking swings for the first time.

Snell did an up-down in his first live batting practice session since his surgery, pitching five simulated at-bats against fellow rehabber Kiké Hernández (left oblique strain) and Eliezer Alfonzo. The next step for Snell should be a rehab assignment, manager Dave Roberts said, likely beginning the first weekend after the All-Star break.

"He says he feels better right now than he did when he returned before," Roberts said of Snell, who has made only one start for the Dodgers this season after beginning the season on the injured list with left shoulder fatigue.

In other encouraging news for the Dodgers' rotation, Tyler Glasnow has started throwing fastball-only bullpen sessions. The right-hander has had difficulty ramping up his throwing while on the IL with lower back spasms, and has not progressed past catch play in previous attempts.

Glasnow's progression has been slow going because the Dodgers can ill afford a setback that sidelines him even longer than expected at this point in the season.

"I think there’s been times where he’s played catch, thrown 'pens and then feels good until he doesn’t," Roberts said. "The back is a little tricky. Hopefully, he comes in feeling good today, and then when he keeps throwing his 'pens, we keep moving the needle. But we’re trying to get a good base so we don’t have a setback, because, obviously, now in the middle of the season, setbacks are going to be hard to overcome."

Snell is a good deal ahead of Glasnow, but their overall progressions should look similar. The Dodgers prefer to build up their starters to around five innings and 75 pitches before activating them from the IL. That typically takes a minimum of four rehab starts.

That puts Snell on track for a return around early to mid-August. Glasnow's timeline is less clear until he gets to the point where he's facing hitters, but he could feasibly be back by the end of August if he continues to make progress.

The Dodgers will need some clarity about the status of Snell and Glasnow before the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline. If both are on track to return and finish the season healthy, then the team may not need to explore rotation upgrades on the trade market. But if there's doubt about either, it could cause L.A. to shift its strategy with a three-peat bid in play.