Progress for Snell, but he and Dodgers know patience is key

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Dodgers camp may be winding down, but Blake Snell's figurative spring is just beginning.

The Dodgers' left-hander threw his first bullpen session ahead of Thursday night's 9-5 win over the Reds at Camelback Ranch. It was a low-intensity effort -- 18 throws, including warmup tosses, and all fastballs around 87-88 mph -- but an important step nonetheless for Snell, who slow-played his ramp-up due to lingering discomfort in his left shoulder.

Both manager Dave Roberts and Snell said that the left-hander is about where a starting pitcher would be upon arriving at Spring Training. That means Snell is, at minimum, about six weeks away from fully ramping up for big league action, although it wouldn't be surprising if he is out longer, until some point in May.

"I think it’s a good step in the right direction," Roberts said, "in the sense of getting on the slope, on the mound. … This is not a max-effort bullpen. So yeah, he’s on the mound, which is great, but until he’s kind of going full steam ahead, then we really don’t know what we've got.”

Snell is hopeful that he could be back sooner, around the end of April -- "that'd be sick," he said -- but he trusts the Dodgers to handle his buildup in a way that keeps him on the mound for the rest of the season.

"I've kind of been going, pushing it," Snell said. "They're being more cautious. I mean, I think we're just talking, going back and forth. But I think them seeing me throw a 'pen today, hopefully that just gives them more confidence to keep it going."

Snell spent four months on the injured list due to inflammation in his left shoulder last year. He returned and looked like every bit the two-time Cy Young Award winner he is while dominating down the stretch and in the postseason, but his shoulder still didn't quite feel right. Snell underwent imaging on his shoulder early in the offseason, which showed inflammation, but no structural damage.

Rest and physical therapy were prescribed for Snell, but he said "every throw kind of hurt" during the offseason. It wasn't until he arrived at Spring Training that the discomfort subsided, and he and the Dodgers still took it slow with his catch play until a couple of weeks ago.

Even though the Dodgers are down a frontline starter for Opening Day, they have plenty of depth and talent to go around in their season-opening rotation, which has a spot or two open behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani and Roki Sasaki. Still, they're looking forward to having Snell on a big league mound again later this year.

“We are fortunate with the talent we have in the room," Roberts said, "especially on the starting-pitching side. … But we are certainly better when he’s pitching for us.”

THE SHO GOES ON

As Snell ramps up at Camelback Ranch, Ohtani has been building up his arm from afar.

The Dodgers' two-way star, who has been away from the team for more than two weeks due to the World Baseball Classic, is preparing to open the season in the rotation. But because he's only hitting for Samurai Japan during the Classic, he's had to ramp up as a pitcher on the side.

While Samurai Japan worked out at loanDepot park ahead of Saturday's quarterfinal matchup vs. Venezuela, Ohtani got a live batting practice session in on Thursday, throwing four simulated innings on 59 pitches.

The Dodgers are unsure how built-up Ohtani will be to open the season since he has yet to see game action. They will likely try to have him pitch in a Freeway Series exhibition (March 22-24), but he will be more of a multi-inning opener early on.

"As far as when he gets back," Roberts said, "we’re looking for him to be able to go multiples when he makes his first start for us.”

COMINGS AND GOINGS

• Kiké Hernández, who returned to camp after being with Team Puerto Rico for some Pool A games in the Classic, has received permission from the Dodgers to travel to Houston for its quarterfinal game vs. Italy on Saturday. If Puerto Rico advances, Hernández said he may try to attend the semifinals in Miami as well. Hernández is on the 60-day IL while recovering from left elbow surgery.

• Mookie Betts is away from Dodgers camp to be with his wife, Brianna, who is expecting the couple's third child. The team is expecting him back on Saturday.