Blake Snell will have elbow surgery, Dodgers pitcher out for months
Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell is out indefinitely after undergoing elbow surgery to remove loose bodies, a growing trend in MLB.
Blake Snell is the latest pitcher headed for elbow surgery, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Snell is having loose bodies removed from his left elbow and is out indefinitely. The procedure has become an unwelcome trend across the sport.
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon had a delayed start to the 2026 season after having the surgery to remove loose bodies and a bone spur shaved down. Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, a two-time Cy Young Award winner like Snell, underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies after a flare-up earlier this month. The typical recovery time for this surgery is two to three months.
But Skubal’s surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, used a device called the NanoNeedle Scope 2. 0, which could significantly shorten that timeline.
Nine days after the procedure, Skubal had already started playing catch. Snell, 33, shares the same agent as Skubal, Scott Boras, so there has been speculation he could use the same procedure. Roberts said he was not sure what surgery Snell would have.