The Dodgers' pitching rotation is seeing a major shakeup as Blake Snell makes his long-awaited season debut, while reliever Brock Stewart heads back to the injured list in a frustrating turn of events.
Snell, the two-time Cy Young Award winner, was activated Saturday to start against the Atlanta Braves after missing the first six-plus weeks of the season due to left shoulder fatigue. The left-hander was originally scheduled to make another rehab start for Class-A Ontario, but when Tyler Glasnow was sidelined with back spasms, the Dodgers saw an opportunity to accelerate Snell's return.
"You try to figure out if he's open to taking the five innings here versus on rehab," manager Dave Roberts explained Friday. "And he was. He couldn't be more excited to do that."
Snell's rehab stint showed promising signs despite a 4.50 ERA over eight innings across three starts. He faced 32 batters between Class-A Ontario and Triple-A Oklahoma City, notching two walks and 10 strikeouts—with all 10 punchouts coming in his final two outings. That included six strikeouts in three innings on April 28 and four more in four innings last Sunday.
To clear a roster spot for Snell, the Dodgers placed Brock Stewart back on the injured list with a bone spur in his left foot. This is a particularly tough blow for Stewart, who had just been activated Wednesday after missing the first 36 games recovering from September shoulder surgery. In his two appearances since returning—Wednesday in Houston and Friday against the Braves—Stewart pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three and walking one while facing seven batters.
Saturday marks the 39th game of the season for the Dodgers, who have relied on just six starting pitchers in an impressively stable rotation so far. This is the latest into a season the team has needed a seventh different starter since 2021, when it took until game 40 with opener Jimmy Nelson. For context, in 2023, the Dodgers needed their seventh pitcher—Gavin Stone—by game 32.
As Snell takes the mound for his Dodger debut, all eyes will be on how the veteran lefty handles the transition from rehab to the big-league stage, and whether the rotation can maintain its early-season stability despite the recent injury setbacks.