As the World Baseball Classic continues, Dave Roberts remains at Spring Training trying to set up his starting rotation while dealing with the absence of two of his best pitchers and providing an update on one of his top arms heading into the 2026 MLB season.
Blake Snell won’t be available at the start
Blake Snell will be one of the players not included on the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ Opening Day roster, as he is still recovering from an injury.
The pitcher missed four months last season due to inflammation in his left shoulder and pitched through discomfort during the World Series. That delayed his offseason throwing program, as the 33-year-old left-hander focused more on rest and rehabilitation.
“I’m just going to take my time. Last year, I was rushing. I wanted to pitch so bad,” Snell recalled at DodgerFest.
“I feel good. I’m just going to go slower. Last year, I had so much to prove, I got way too excited and I was really pushing to get to spring, get through spring.
This year, I’m going to be a little slower in how I ramp up. Be a little more smarter on that, but I feel good.”
Dave Roberts waiting for Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to return healthy
How the Dodgers might replace Blake Snell
The plan is for Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, and Emmet Sheehan to form the core of the Dodgers rotation, with the possibility that Roki Sasaki could also join the group.
However, Snell’s injury opens the door for River Ryan, while Cole Irvin, Landon Knack, and Justin Wrobleski also appear to be candidates to step into the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching rotation if needed.
The reality is that part of Dave Roberts’ concern – and it’s no secret – is ensuring that both Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto avoid injuries in the World Baseball Classic, return healthy, and allow him to count on most of his Dodgers starting pitchers for the season.
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