Fans unhappy as $182M Dodgers star's IL stint lengthens after continued discomfort

MLB: Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers - Source: Imagn — Fans unhappy as $182M Dodgers star's IL stint lengthens after continued discomfort - Source: Imagn

The Los Angeles Dodgers struggled with injuries in their pitching staff last season, although they overcame them to win the World Series. The NL West team added two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell to bolster the rotation.

However, the All-Star hurler has seemingly struggled to find his rhythm at the start of the 2025 MLB season. To add to the woes, Snell was placed on the 15-day injured list earlier this month after shoulder discomfort. He arrived in LA after signing a $182 million deal over five years in the offseason.

However, according to the latest updates, the Dodgers ace is expected to be out for a longer period than previously anticipated. Snell, who was expected to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday, has been shut down after experiencing discomfort while playing catch on Tuesday.

Fans were surprised by Snell's extended time on the sidelines and expressed their frustration online.

"Bro what did we do to deserve this?" wrote a fan.

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"Story of being a Dodgers fan," wrote another fan.

"Dodgers still can’t go through a season without all their starters missing tons of time," wrote a fan.

Several fans highlighted Blake Snell's stellar performance for the San Francisco Giants in the second half of the season after struggling with injuries at the start of the 2024 season.

"He does this so he can rest and come back and be a beast for 12 regular season games + the postseason," alleged a fan.

"He’ll come back after summer and throw a 0.92 ERA and average 9 Ks per game through the playoffs 😂"

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"Based off of last year it's not all that surprising," wrote another fan.

Dodgers not taking a chance with Blake Snell's shoulder injury

Blake Snell, who was expected to throw his second bullpen session on Wednesday, complained of shoulder discomfort and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn't want to take a chance with his injury. For Roberts, Snell's fitness for the latter part of the season remains crucial.

“Part of the messaging from us to Blake is, it's about later on in the season, and if there's any type of discomfort, let's not try to fight through it,” Roberts said. “Given where we're at right now on the calendar, not concerned at all. And even talking to Blake yesterday, wasn't concerned.”

The reigning World Series winners struggled with injuries to starters, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Clayton Kershaw, among others. In Snell's absence, the team went 2-3 in their last three games.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash