LOS ANGELES -- Left-hander Blake Snell began a throwing program ahead of Friday night's series opener against the Angels, two and a half weeks following surgery to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow.
Snell is on the 60-day injured list, so he would not be eligible to return to the Dodgers until mid-July at the earliest. He has a long buildup ahead, but Friday was a good first step.
"When a guy is, obviously, coming off surgery is different than an offseason, but the buildup is like any season," manager Dave Roberts said. "There's the rehab part of it, but the progression -- I don't know about the timeline. But it's gonna be a ways. We're gonna make sure that we kind of take care of him, but I know Blake's gonna want to speed this process up."
Snell underwent the same NanoNeedle Scope procedure as Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who is set to make a rehab start this weekend after having surgery just over a month ago.
Both Skubal and the Tigers have reasons to expedite his timeline: Skubal is an impending free agent, and potentially the biggest name to watch ahead of the Trade Deadline if Detroit remains out of contention. Snell and the Dodgers do not share those priorities. They are focused on having Snell back at full strength for the stretch run and the postseason. Getting Snell back sooner would be beneficial, but not if it could potentially compromise the team's ultimate goal.
Snell began this season on the IL with left shoulder fatigue, then made just one start for the Dodgers on May 9 before his elbow issue flared up.