Blake Snell fans 6 batters in first start back for Dodgers

The Dodgers activated Blake Snell off the injured list on August 11, and he wasted no time reminding everyone why the rotation missed him. Snell hadn't pitched for LA since a shoulder issue in spring training bled into a June setback and eventually elbow surgery to clear out loose bodies. Three months later, he was back on a big-league mound against the Royals.

MLB Trade Rumors

@mlbtraderumors

Dodgers Activate Blake Snell t.co/MfpZ5D44s4

Snell opted for a newer NanoNeedle procedure to speed up the elbow recovery instead of traditional arthroscopic surgery, and it clearly worked. He blew through a four-game minor league rehab assignment before LA cleared him for the majors, and the Dodgers made room by optioning Charlie Barnes and shifting Blake Treinen to the 60-day IL.

The stuff looked exactly like the version of Snell that's won 2 Cy Youngs. He mowed down the side in the 1st inning, the kind of frame that makes a stretch-run contender exhale a little.

Rob Friedman

@PitchingNinja

Blake Snell, Annihilating the Side in the 1st. 🦖

He kept it going into the 3rd, racking up 2 more strikeouts to push his total to 6 through 3 innings. For a Dodgers team that's been piecing together a rotation without him for months, that's about as clean a re-entry as you could script.

Rob Friedman

@PitchingNinja

Blake Snell's 2Ks in the 3rd. 6Ks thru 3.

The Dodgers didn't just get Snell back for the sake of roster depth — they got him back for October. LA has leaned on his ceiling before, and a healthy, dominant version of him in the rotation changes the math for the stretch run and beyond. If the first start is any indication, the 3-month wait might've been worth it.