Blake Snell Exits Dodgers Start After One Inning With Left Groin Tightness

Blake Snell threw one inning, 19 pitches, and walked off the mound in Cincinnati on Wednesday night. The Dodgers announced he left with left groin tightness. Blake Treinen came in to relieve him in the second, and the bullpen didn't hold up, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Snell's line for the night: one hit allowed, a Sal Stewart single he erased with a pickoff, one strikeout, 10 pitches for strikes. His stuff was down across the board. Dodgers Nation reported his fastball was 1.5 mph below his season average, his curveball down 0.7 mph, his changeup down 0.3 mph, and his slider off by 2.3 mph, according to Statcast data cited in that report.

Snell has had left adductor or groin strains in 2021, 2022 and twice in 2024, according to the New York Times and USA Today. The 2024 version, while he was with the San Francisco Giants, cost him roughly a month, the New York Post reported.

The Dodgers went on to lose 6-2. Six relievers combined to give up six runs and 12 hits, including two home runs, according to the Los Angeles Times. That loss also meant Los Angeles didn't clinch the NL West on Wednesday. They'll get another shot Thursday if the San Diego Padres, who beat the Colorado Rockies, stumble.

A rotation built for October, suddenly shaky

Snell wasn't just healthy lately. He was dominant. Before Wednesday, he was 4-0 with a 1.04 ERA across six starts since coming off the injured list on August 11, according to Sports Illustrated. For the season, USA Today reported his ERA sat at 1.91 with 51 strikeouts and a 1.09 WHIP, but across only seven starts and a career-low innings total, because he opened the year on the IL with left shoulder inflammation, then went back on the IL in May for elbow surgery to remove loose bodies and bone spurs, a procedure USA Today and the New York Times both describe as a minimally invasive "NanoNeedle" operation.

He's not the only rotation piece with question marks. Tyler Glasnow gave up eight runs, 11 hits and seven walks combined over his last two starts, according to the New York Post. The Dodgers sent him straight from Miami back to Los Angeles rather than having him join the team in Cincinnati. Manager Dave Roberts framed it as routine scheduling, telling reporters it was about getting Glasnow "acclimated to Pacific Standard Time" ahead of his start, which is planned for Friday at Dodger Stadium against the San Francisco Giants, according to both the Los Angeles Times and New York Post. Glasnow told the Times his back, which sidelined him for three and a half months earlier this season, "feels good."

Roki Sasaki has been out nearly three weeks with a blister on his right middle finger. He threw a 48-pitch, four-inning live batting practice session Wednesday with Dermabond on the finger, according to the Los Angeles Times, and Roberts called the blister "playable." If Snell needs real time off, Sasaki is the most obvious replacement in the rotation.

The New York Post reported that people familiar with Snell's situation say he believes the injury isn't serious and expects to make his next scheduled start, with one person telling the paper it was "stopped before it got too bad." USA Today separately reported that Los Angeles Times reporter Jack Harris described the removal as a precaution. Those are the most optimistic signals available. Nobody has said Snell is headed for the injured list, and no MRI results or a formal diagnosis beyond "tightness" had been reported as of Wednesday night.

Early reassurances from athletes and teams don't always hold up, as the New York Post noted explicitly, pointing to the club's earlier handling of other injury situations this season. That caution makes sense given Snell's own injury history with this exact muscle group, though it remains speculation about how this specific case will unfold.

The Dodgers have clinched their 14th straight postseason berth, according to the Associated Press. They have two weeks left in the regular season to figure out whether Snell, Glasnow and Sasaki will all be healthy for October. Roberts said he'd have a fuller update after Wednesday's game on whether Snell needs to go on the injured list.