MIAMI – Marlins No. 2 prospect Robby Snelling underwent left elbow UCL repair surgery with an internal brace on Friday. The operation was performed by Dr. Keith Meister, and the timeline for return to play is 10-12 months.
Still processing the news ahead of Sunday’s series finale against the Mets at loanDepot park, Snelling wore an arm brace on his left arm and played the Pop-A-Shot Elite and Golden Tee machines with his right arm in the Marlins’ clubhouse.
“I don’t know if it has really sunk in yet that I'm not going to be playing baseball for the rest of the year, which kinda stinks,” Snelling said. “I'll get [into a better mindset] once I am able to hammer out some rehab and be able to shift my mindset more into focusing on getting back.
“This is a pretty tough pill to swallow, but it's the cards that I was dealt, and there's a greater plan, so I'm ready to get going.”
Snelling (MLB Pipeline’s No. 28 overall prospect) experienced soreness in his left elbow during his bullpen session on May 12 following his Major League debut on May 8 and before his scheduled start on May 14 in Minneapolis.
“I don't remember exactly what pitch it was,” Snelling said. “I was like, ‘That felt a little different than all the other pitches.' Felt weird.
“Threw another fastball, it was still 95, 96 [mph], and I was still locating, so I wasn't super worried about it. I thought it just came out different, and I wasn't hurting at all after that. Nothing really tightened up, and I was able to go throughout the rest of the outing the way that I did.”
Though he finished the outing without issue, the discomfort lingered in the days that followed.
“I really wanted to see how I felt throwing a bullpen on Tuesday when we were in Minnesota … and [I had] normal velo. I was still 87 and 91, and [my] body was feeling okay. I just couldn't trust my arm to be able to go out on that start on Thursday, and try and throw 95.”
The soreness remained over the next several days. Snelling initially believed it was the result of pushing too hard, but after going through his normal routine, he informed the training staff that the discomfort was different than what he had experienced before.
An MRI revealed a sprained UCL in Snelling’s left elbow, so Miami placed him on the 15-day injured list and recalled veteran lefty Braxton Garrett to take his rotation spot. Snelling was transferred to the 60-day IL on Thursday to make space on the 40-man roster for the acquisition of outfielder Rece Hinds from the Reds.
The Marlins had hoped Snelling, their 2025 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, could provide a spark after Chris Paddack was designated for assignment earlier this month. At the time of his callup, Snelling was one of the most dominant pitchers in the Minors, with a 1.86 ERA (second lowest in the International League), a 0.90 WHIP (third lowest) and 44 strikeouts (tied for the second most) in six starts. Snelling also earned International League Pitcher of the Week honors for tossing five no-hit frames his last time on the mound for Triple-A Jacksonville.
“It’s probably as tough as it gets, honestly,” Snelling said. “You get a taste of it, and obviously, like I was explaining to [manager] Clayton [McCullough] when we found out, it's just hard being ripped away from something that you know you've been waiting for for so long.”
The 22-year-old Snelling became the second starting pitcher on the Marlins’ 40-man roster to undergo elbow surgery this year, joining right-hander Adam Mazur. Miami took another blow to its depth by optioning Garrett to Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday after a second consecutive short start in Snelling's place.
"Disappointing for him, us," McCullough said ahead of the procedure. "That's an unfortunate part of our industry. Guys go down. ... We just keep going, and Robby will come back from this a stronger person."