WASHINGTON — The pain Blake Snell felt in his left shoulder during his throwing session on Sunday was not a new thing.
“I’ve been feeling it for like three weeks,” Snell said Monday after going on the injured list a day earlier. “I thought I could pitch through it when I got to Philly. Played long toss, catch, tried to throw – I just couldn’t.
“This sucks. I was hoping I could just get past it and pitch, and it would go away. It’s hurting, so I’ll get healthy and get back out there.”
Snell said he underwent an MRI on Sunday which revealed inflammation but no structural damage. He said he was in “a good amount” of pain during his two regular-season starts.
“I don’t want to make excuses, but yeah. I was aware of it,” he said.
Snell said he is familiar with pitching through elbow pain, but this is the first time he’s had a sore shoulder. In 2018, he went on the injured list with shoulder fatigue.
“Hopefully it’s a couple weeks and I’m back and I’m ready to go then,” he said.
Manager Dave Roberts said the Dodgers are also optimistic that Snell’s absence will be short but “I think we’ll know more in the next couple of days.” Dr. Neal ElAttrache is in Washington with the team and will examine Snell, Roberts said.
“I hope he’s right. That’d be great,” Roberts said of Snell’s prediction of a quick return. “But I just can’t speak to it right now.”
Roberts said “everything is in play” as far as a treatment plan, including potentially pain-killing injections. Snell said he doesn’t expect to pick up a baseball for “probably, like, five days.”
KERSHAW PROGRESS
Clayton Kershaw joined the team in Washington this week in order to participate in the White House visit on Monday. He also threw a bullpen session at Nationals Park on Monday afternoon.
Kershaw said he threw two simulated innings to hitters at the Dodgers’ Camelback Ranch complex in Arizona last week and expects to do the same on Thursday.
“I’m kind of just going to keep on that schedule,” Kershaw said. “It’s kind of a weird needle to thread because physically my arm is ready to go. I’m ready. But my toe isn’t all the way there yet. Whenever my toe finally is strong enough to be out there, I want to be ready.
“It’s obviously a unique injury for pitching, unique injury for baseball. So there’s not a whole lot of precedent with it. We’re just kind of, whenever my toe is ready to go, I’ll be ready to go.”
Kershaw had surgery on his left knee and foot. The toe surgery addressed a chronic problem that finally became too much for him to pitch through last season.
“I think it’s just that final little push-off, trying to figure out how to get that last little bit of velo(city), last little bit of life to your pitch,” the three-time Cy Young Award winner said.
Kershaw was placed on the 60-day IL to start the season and won’t be eligible to pitch for the Dodgers until late May.
FILL-INS
Rpberts confirmed Monday that left-hander Justin Wrobleski will start in Snell’s spot on Tuesday. Wrobleski gave up just two runs in 9⅓ innings this spring and took a shutout into the sixth inning of his only start with Triple-A Oklahoma City this season.
The Dodgers also plan to promote a spot starter for Wednesday’s game, allowing Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki to stay on their once-a-week schedule. Those two will start Friday and Saturday in Los Angeles against the Chicago Cubs.
Right-hander Landon Knack joined the Dodgers in Washington on Monday in order to participate in the White House visit and receive his World Series ring. He will likely remain with the team and be activated to start on Wednesday.
UP NEXT
Dodgers (LHP Justin Wrobleski, 1-2, 5.70 ERA in 2024) at Nationals (TBA), Tuesday 3:45 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA, 570 AM
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