SAN DIEGO (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Snell is set for surgery Tuesday to have loose bodies removed from his elbow, according to general manager Brandon Gomes.
Team officials believe this surgical approach will help the $182 million left-handed starter get back on the field more quickly than alternative treatments, though he will still miss considerable time. Gomes noted that Snell will receive the same procedure as Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal, who is dealing with an identical elbow issue and aims to return this season.
“Hopefully it’s the shorter timeline,” Gomes said. “That’s the hope and the expectation right now. Obviously don’t know 100% until we’re in there, but that’s what we expect.”
The defending World Series champions, who continue to battle injury issues, brought in veteran reliever Jonathan Hernández and sent reliever Chayce McDermott to the minors following his single appearance. These roster moves came Monday before Los Angeles faced division rival San Diego Padres for their first meeting of the season.
Hernández left his minor league deal with Philadelphia on Monday after 13 outings for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, posting a 1-0 record with a 4.80 ERA and 22 strikeouts across 15 innings.
The reliever spent portions of five seasons with the Texas Rangers before moving through minor league systems with Seattle, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia over the last two years. His most recent major league action came in three games for the Mariners in August 2024.
McDermott pitched one clean inning in his Dodgers debut during Sunday’s 10-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels, helping complete a three-game series sweep. Los Angeles obtained the right-handed pitcher in a deal with Baltimore last month.
The Dodgers face another season of substantial pitching injuries, requiring constant adjustments to their starting rotation and relief corps. Despite these challenges, Los Angeles enters their series at Petco Park with baseball’s second-best ERA at 3.21.
“We’ve dealt with this in the past,” Gomes said. “It’s the reason you try to go in with as much depth as you can, knowing that things can happen. You hope that they don’t pile up at the same time, which has been happening as of late, but we’ll keep navigating it and work through it like we have in the past.”
Both expensive starters Snell and Tyler Glasnow are currently unavailable due to injuries.
Manager Dave Roberts reported Monday that Glasnow’s back problem recently “flared up,” keeping him from mound work. Snell has made just one start for the Dodgers this year, while Glasnow exited his seventh outing nearly two weeks ago with his injury.
Edwin Diaz, baseball’s highest-paid reliever, faces at least three months on the sidelines after surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow following only seven appearances with his new club. The team also lost left-handed reliever Jack Dreyer, their most frequently used bullpen arm this season, to shoulder problems last weekend.
Roberts mentioned that reliever Brusdar Graterol has experienced another complication in his recovery from a back injury. The hard-throwing pitcher, who hasn’t appeared in the majors since the 2024 World Series, had been working for Triple-A Oklahoma City.
“He’ll be shut down for a while,” Roberts said.
Gomes indicated that surgery on Graterol’s lower back remains under consideration.
Additional injured Dodgers pitchers with major league experience include right-handers Brock Stewart, Evan Phillips, Ben Casparius, Landon Knack, Gavin Stone, Bobby Miller and Jake Cousins.
Utility players Kiké Hernández and Tommy Edman have missed the entire season so far with injuries, though both could potentially return within the next month.
The Dodgers moved Casparius to the 60-day injured list to create roster space for Hernández on the 40-man roster.
