LOS ANGELES — Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell will take the mound Saturday for his first appearance of the season when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Atlanta Braves in a showdown between National League division leaders.
The veteran left-hander’s return to the rotation comes earlier than expected following Tyler Glasnow’s departure from Wednesday’s game due to back issues. Los Angeles placed Glasnow on the 15-day injured list Friday with low back spasms and brought up right-hander Paul Gervase from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
A shoulder injury sidelined Snell for most of the 2025 regular season, limiting him to just 11 starts despite signing a five-year, $182 million deal in November 2024. However, the southpaw delivered when it mattered most, posting a 3-2 record across six postseason appearances as the Dodgers captured their second straight World Series championship.
Since late March, Snell has been dealing with left shoulder fatigue that landed him on the injured list. While originally scheduled for another minor league rehabilitation outing with Class A Ontario on Saturday, he’ll instead face Atlanta at Dodger Stadium.
Glasnow departed Wednesday’s contest against Houston after just one inning. Following an MRI examination, manager Dave Roberts told reporters Friday before the series opener against Atlanta that the results showed “nothing really significant.”
The 32-year-old Glasnow has compiled a 3-0 record with a 2.72 ERA through seven starts this season.
The towering 6-foot-10 Gervase, age 25, brings a 2-0 record and 3.65 ERA from nine appearances with Oklahoma City this year. His major league experience includes one outing with Los Angeles last season, where he recorded two strikeouts over two innings, plus five games with Tampa Bay that resulted in a 4.26 ERA.
