Blake Snell throws 32 pitches in 1+ inning in first rehab start
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Blake Snell #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers warms up in the outfield during batting practice before the game against the Cleveland Guardians at Dodger Stadium on March 30, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell pitched into the second inning in his first minor league rehab start for the Class-A Ontario Tower Buzzers on Wednesday night on the road against the San Jose Giants. Snell was pulled with nobody out in the second inning after throwing 32 pitches.
He threw 16 pitches in each frame, and didn’t retire any of his four batters faced in the second, though two of those batters reached on errors by Ontario infielders. The Dodgers left-hander allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits in his one-plus inning, with one walk and no strikeouts among his eight batters faced. There is no radar gun info available from this game on Baseball Savant, but the site did show that Snell induced one swinging strike among his 32 pitches .
Snell had the approach that many veteran pitchers sometimes have during a minor league rehab appearance, in that he completely ignored the runners on base while pitching, and in doing so allowed three stolen bases in his brief time on the mound on Wednesday. He began the season on the injured list with shoulder fatigue , after not throwing much during the offseason following the extended postseason run. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters in San Francisco on Tuesday that Snell would need at least three, most likely four minor league rehab starts , and would be stretched out to five innings before rejoining Los Angeles.
Wednesday’s 32-pitch, three-out effort all but ensures Snell will need at least four rehab starts before returning. That puts the left-hander right in line for returning in mid to late May.