Snell Undergoes Elbow Surgery; Dodgers Expect 2026 Return

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Blake Snell will undergo surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, and the Los Angeles Dodgers expect the two-time Cy Young Award winner to return this season.

Snell made his season debut last weekend, giving up four earned runs in three innings after missing the start of the season because of left shoulder fatigue and inflammation, and the left-hander was scratched from his scheduled start Friday against the Los Angeles Angels .

The surgery is scheduled for Tuesday.

"It's going to be to take out those loose bodies, and it's supposed to be a lot quicker recovery, so we're encouraged about that," manager Dave Roberts said Saturday before the second game of the three-game Freeway Series at Angel Stadium.

Snell missed most of the 2025 regular season because of a shoulder injury, which limited him to 11 starts, but he made six appearances in the playoffs. Snell had a 3-2 record in the postseason to help the Dodgers to a second consecutive World Series title.

Snell's latest injury was discovered Thursday, and Roberts indicated that the 33-year-old could undergo a similar procedure to what Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal recently had in an effort to expedite his recovery. Skubal had a more aggressive type of minimally invasive surgery May 6, and that allowed him to resume playing catch and soft tossing just over a week later.

Roberts indicated it was too early to have a timetable for Snell's return to baseball activities, but "I think just with the MRI, the scans and everything, we feel good about getting back to play sooner than later," he said.

The Dodgers are already without closer Edwin Diaz , who had surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow in April, and starter Tyler Glasnow is on the injured list because of back spasms.

_Originally reported by [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48791729/snell-set-elbow-surgery-dodgers-expect-back-season)._