The Los Angeles Dodgers could be facing the reality of not having Blake Snell for Opening Day or perhaps even the first couple of weeks to open up the 2026 MLB season. Snell recently admitted that the slow ramp-up could delay his readiness for Opening Day.
Moreover, last season, Snell was sidelined for four months with left shoulder inflammation. As a result, it wouldn’t be surprising for the Dodgers to take their time with the veteran pitcher.
Katie Woo of The Athletic shared the latest on Snell, as the race to be ready for Opening Day on March 26 against the Arizona Diamondbacks grows concerning.
“No real update on Blake Snell other than he’s throwing off flat ground,” Woo wrote on X on Feb. 23. “Spring calendar is obviously putting his Opening Day status in doubt.”
Moreover, Woo shared a direct quote from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on the Snell situation.
“Time’s ticking, but like I told him the other day, Opening Day is not necessarily a hard and fast target for us,” Roberts said.
Dodgers Could Be Taking Cautious Approach With Blake Snell
Despite the possibility that Snell may not be ready for Opening Day and the start of the 2026 season, Los Angeles has shown in the past that it takes its time with its pitchers and can even be extra cautious. Moreover, the Dodgers would rather have pitchers healthy toward the end of the season, which explains this approach.
Amid the latest on Snell and the Dodgers’ approach to handling injuries to their starting pitchers, former MLB executive David Samson didn’t hold back on Los Angeles, setting the roadmap for how teams should go about this situation, especially if they have the depth the Dodgers have.
“The Dodgers announcing that Blake Snell [is] not ready for the start of the season is not because Blake Snell cannot be ready for the start of the season,” Samson said on the Feb. 2 edition of “Nothing Personal with David Samson. “The reason Blake Snell is not ready for the start of the season is because they are very aware that to keep him healthy late, you got to start him late. Blake Snell came out and said his arm was tired, his arm’s exhausted.
“He had five postseason starts; he pitched in relief [and] he’s just done… I am not going to impugn the Los Angeles Dodgers front office. I’m going to go the opposite. Congratulations on giving us a roadmap to what is necessary to win through October. We always had the feeling that we were going to have injuries and that pitchers starting 30 games plus is something in the past, and now we know.”
Roki Sasaki Looks to Establish Himself as a Starting Pitcher
Snell, appearing unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, opens the door for someone like Roki Sasaki, who is looking to establish himself as a starter in the Dodgers rotation. Ahead of Sasaki’s second MLB season, Dodgers catcher Will Smith shared his thoughts on the pitcher looking to solidify himself in the starting rotation.
“[Sasaki] looks good,” Smith told SportsNet LA. “He’s throwing the ball hard. The fastball looks really good. The splitter looks really good. He’s been working on a little cutter/slider‑type thing, just really trying to dial that in. We’re going to see him as well, just something going the other way. Yeah, he looks good.”
Dodgers Insider Delivers Concerning Blake Snell News