Possible Blake Snell timeline after injury would ruin Dodgers' master plan

Just when you thought that everything was starting to snap back into place, the Los Angeles Dodgers could be dealing with yet another possible injury. After throwing just one inning against the Cincinnati Reds, Blake Snell was forced to exit the game with left groin tightness. While it is still way too early to hit the nuclear panic button, another Snell injury would pretty much spoil the team's postseason plans.

When it was announced that Shohei Ohtani would no longer pitch for the remainder of the season, the Dodgers were certainly disappointed. But with several strong pitchers already on the road back from injury, they knew that they had options. But with Snell unable to throw more than 19 pitches against the Reds, he may no longer be one of those starting options in the playoffs. That could put the Dodgers in a box that they don’t want to be in.

Could Snell’s early exit have been completely precautionary? Certainly. But it’s still not a good look for a pitcher who has yet to even throw 40 innings in 2026. It’s an especially bad look for the same pitcher who has already been placed on the IL twice this season. 

As noted by Dodgers reporter Blake Harris, it’s an even worse look for that very pitcher who suffered a left groin strain just two seasons ago. While pitching for the San Francisco Giants in 2024, Snell was shelved for five weeks for a strain to the same side of the groin he just aggravated in the game against the Reds. 

A Blake Snell injury could limit the Dodgers’ World Series run

Again, it’s too early to tell for certain. We might not know the extent of Snell's potential injury for a day or two. However, the most optimistic of recovery timelines would still diminish any chance that Snell has at starting any of the games in the Dodgers’ first postseason series, especially if Snell is dealing with a similar injury to his strained groin. 

At 92-59, the Dodgers are in a good position to finish the regular season as one of the top two teams in the National League. That would mean that their first postseason game wouldn’t be until October 3. That would give Snell just two weeks to rest up and treat a potential injury. If he’s looking at anything more than just an acute case of tightness, Snell may even be unavailable for the entire postseason. 

With Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers will have a formidable top three to lead the way. That may be enough to get them through a five-game series in fairly good shape. But if they advance to the NL Championship Series, they will need a fourth starting pitcher. 

So what options do the Dodgers have if they need to replace Snell? Emmet Sheehan has looked like an entirely different pitcher over his last two starts. After striking out 10 hitters in 5.2 innings against the Reds on September 7, he backed it up with six scoreless innings against the Miami Marlins in his most recent start. But even with renewed faith in Sheehan, would the Dodgers be comfortable giving him the ball in such a high-stakes series? 

Justin Wrobleski has been wildly inconsistent in the second half of the season. With 20 earned runs allowed over his last 20.2 innings pitched, he would likely not be an option for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. In a perfect world, Kris Bubic would have been the next man up in the rotation, but he will be limited to the bullpen following his own return from the IL. 

If the Dodgers are looking at even a modest injury for Snell, their postseason rotation could be their most serious question mark heading into October. They could have enough firepower to cover their weak spot, but it may ultimately be their undoing.   

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