Dodgers' Blake Snell scratched from start with loose bodies in left elbow. His return is uncertain

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ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Blake Snell has loose bodies in his left elbow, and the Los Angeles Dodgers' two-time Cy Young Award winner is once again sidelined indefinitely.

The left-hander was a late scratch from his second start of the season Friday at Angel Stadium. Snell only made his season debut last weekend after missing the first six weeks of the season with left shoulder fatigue and inflammation.

The Dodgers are determining whether surgery is necessary for Snell, but he is likely to miss significant time either way, manager Dave Roberts indicated.

“I think right now, anything is on the table,” Roberts said. “We're talking through potential ... what's next. I think at the end of the day, we feel confident that he's going to be back with us this year, either (with surgery or not). But right now, no definitive process.”

Reliever Will Klein was the starter for a bullpen game in Snell’s place as the defending World Series champions opened a weekend Freeway Series against the Los Angeles Angels.

The Dodgers placed Snell on the injured list and recalled left-hander Charlie Barnes, who was claimed off waivers from the Chicago Cubs last weekend. Barnes has a career 5.92 ERA in the majors.

The 33-year-old Snell rejoined the rotation sooner than anticipated last Saturday, allowing four earned runs over three innings against the Atlanta Braves. He had been on the injured list since late March.

But Snell and the Dodgers detected the new injury Thursday while he played catch during his regular work between starts.

“He just felt something in the back of his elbow and just couldn't continue,” Roberts said.

Snell also missed most of the 2025 regular season because of a lingering shoulder injury, making just 11 starts after signing a $182 million, five-year contract with Los Angeles in November 2024. The left-hander eventually returned and went 3-2 in six postseason appearances while the Dodgers won their second consecutive World Series title.

New Dodgers closer Edwin Diaz underwent surgery last month to remove loose bodies from his right elbow. He is expected to return after the All-Star break, but will miss roughly three months after appearing in only seven games for his new team.

Major pitching injuries are nothing new for the Dodgers, who have endured an extraordinary stretch of setbacks for their high-priced staff in recent years. During one lengthy stretch last summer, Los Angeles had 14 pitchers making more than $100 million combined on its injured list.

Tyler Glasnow, another high-priced free agent acquisition who has struggled to stay healthy, went back on the injured list last week with back spasms. He is playing catch again, but his return isn't imminent.

“It seems like every year we go through it,” Roberts said. “What I have learned is we get through it. It doesn't feel great when you're in it. In spring training we're looking at a plethora (of quality pitchers), but in baseball, it happens all the time with pitching, so here we are.”

The Dodgers haven't yet decided how to patch the latest hole in their six-man rotation, but Roberts said a regular bullpen start is a possibility.

“We’re prepared to do whatever we can, but the most important thing is to keep the (other starters) on their schedules (and) not try to push because of circumstances in the rotation,” Roberts said.

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