The Dodgers are scratching Blake Snell from his scheduled start Friday night against the Angels because of a yet-to-be-announced physical issue, according to sources.
The precise reason for Snell’s unavailability was not immediately clear — though one source said it was not related to the shoulder injury that had sidelined him for the first five weeks of the year.
Snell only made his season debut last week, when he threw three innings in a loss to the Atlanta Braves.
Friday was scheduled to be his second start of the campaign.
A two-time Cy Young Award winner who signed with the Dodgers on a $182 million contract last offseason, Snell missed much of the 2025 campaign with a shoulder injury — but returned late in the year to serve a key role in the club’s run to a World Series title.
During the playoffs, he made six appearances with a 3.18 ERA.
After the World Series, Snell said his shoulder started bothering him again, leading him to go through physical therapy over the winter.
Though he entered spring hoping to be ready for the start of the season, the Dodgers decided to slow-play his build-up — hoping to avoid the elongated absence he suffered last year after trying to pitch through early-season shoulder problems.
Last week, Snell was activated sooner than initially expected, skipping what was supposed to be a final minor-league rehab start to join the Dodgers rotation in the wake of Tyler Glasnow’s back injury.
While his stuff looked good in his three-inning, five-run (four-earned), five-strikeout start, he was hurt by bad defense and soft contact that fell for hits.
Friday was supposed to give him a chance to take another step forward.
Instead, his scratch has now raised fears of another physical setback.
