Blake Snell Injury Update: Giants place reigning Cy Young winner on 15-day IL amid tough start to 2024 season

Blake Snell's nightmare start to 2024 continued Wednesday as the San Francisco Giants opted to place their starter on the 15-day injured list.

Snell suffered a left adductor strain and will not be able to pitch for the time being. After a brutal start statistically, this is no better news for the former Cy Young winner.

Left adductor strains can last up to six weeks but require at least three weeks off. Snell won't be able to pitch for a while, and the Giants will try to overcome the hit to their pitching depth in the meantime.

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Blake Snell was having a rough go before the injury

Even before he was on the injured list, the Giants were arguably missing Blake Snell—at least the Snell of old that won the NL Cy Young last year. Be it a rough start or the lack of spring training, something was wrong.

Snell had an 11.57 ERA after 11.2 innings. His xERA of 4.07 indicates that there was a lot of terrible luck, but even that metric isn't encouraging. A .410 BABIP (batting average on balls in play) is likewise quite high.

Blake Snell has had a tough start to 2024

It was so bad that he was not worth even a fraction of a win. He has a 0.0 fWAR right now. His walk numbers didn't help, though that has always been a struggle for him. An 18.2% home run/fly ball rate didn't help, as that was the second-highest mark of his career.

As for skipping out on a rehab assignment to try a version of Spring Training in the minors, Snell opted not to. He said, via USA Today:

“It was definitely an option, but I don't think I needed it. I still don't think I need it. I've just got to get better with sequencing. The stuff is there, so it's all sequencing and pitching like I know I can. Once I start doing that, then the what-ifs and all that will fade," he claimed.

All in all, he'll likely be getting a rehab stint in the minors after all, which might help him turn his form back around when he's healthy again.