Blake Snell passes crucial step in recovery process after Dodgers' latest update

With Roki Sasaki joining Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow on the IL this week, the Dodgers' rotation has been whittled down to three. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dustin May, and Tony Gonsolin are set to be rejoined by Clayton Kershaw on Saturday, but it's still a sad state of affairs for a team that once had ridiculous pitching depth at the beginning of the season.

Snell, at least, does seem to be taking a step in the right direction after a few setbacks already. Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation reported that Snell was cleared to start a throwing program by the team's doctor, and was spotted throwing on flat ground at Dodger Stadium on Thursday.

Snell's undergone multiple MRIs at this point and has received at least one painkilling injection. The MRIs thankfully showed no signs of structural damage, but the Dodgers have been extra cautious, especially after he pitched through a few weeks of pain before moving to the IL.

Glasnow started a throwing progression last weekend, but Snell, who has been on the IL for longer, was struggling to keep up. This is a good first step, even if Dodgers fans have, by now, been programmed to themselves for another piece of bad news.

Dodgers get good news on Blake Snell, finally clear him to start a throwing program

This came after his meeting with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, and that's a good sign because any further delay in returning to throwing would've suggested a more severe issue.

It's fair to guess that both Snell and Glasnow are still weeks away from return, though. The process from "throwing on flat ground" to "going out on a rehab assignment" features a vast gap in between.

In the meantime, the Dodgers have turned to Landon Knack and Justin Wrobleski, who was just called up on Thursday, along with bullpen games. Knack struggled again in his latest start on Tuesday, pitching 4 2/3 innings and giving up five earned runs (he struck out eight batters, at least?), but the Dodgers have no choice but to cycle the rookies back through the majors if they don't want to completely burn their bullpen less than two months into the season.

After weeks of hearing that nothing had really changed on the Snell front, seeing him up and moving is a relief in itself. Progress is progress.