Blake Snell expected to start again for Dodgers before postseason despite groin injury

Blake Snell is expected to take the mound at least once more for the Los Angeles Dodgers before the postseason, MLB.com's Sarah Wexler reported, a day after the left-hander exited a start against the Reds after just one inning with left groin tightness.

What happened

Snell's departure from that start was described as precautionary, and he told reporters he expects to make his next scheduled turn, per the context surrounding Wexler's report. MLB.com subsequently reported that the Dodgers share that expectation — at least one more start before the postseason begins.

The groin issue surfaced on September 17, when Snell was pulled after a single inning against Cincinnati. The early exit immediately complicated what was already a carefully managed rotation for a club navigating a crowded September injury ledger.

Why it matters

The Dodgers are not exactly flush with rotation certainty at the moment. Shohei Ohtani was placed on the injured list a day before Snell's abbreviated outing, with Josue De Paula called up in a corresponding move. That move came as the club was managing what MLB.com described as September health concerns around Ohtani's aggravated right biceps. Roki Sasaki, meanwhile, was activated from the injured list on September 18 and is scheduled to make one more start before the regular season ends.

So the rotation picture heading into October involves Sasaki working his way back, Ohtani on the IL, and now Snell carrying a groin concern into the final stretch. The good news, such as it is, is that the Dodgers' own expectation — and Snell's — is that he pitches again before the bracket locks in. Whether that start goes a full complement of innings, and what it means for his postseason role, remains to be seen.

The broader context is worth noting: the Dodgers clinched a 2026 playoff berth on September 15, tying the MLB record with 14 consecutive postseason appearances. The NL West title itself appeared within reach as recently as September 16, when a strong pitching performance against the Reds moved the club closer to clinching as early as Wednesday of that week. With the division lead secured and a postseason spot locked, the calculus on Snell's workload shifts — protecting him for October matters more than any single regular-season result.

That is the quiet tension in every late-September rotation decision for a contender: the games still count in the standings, but the games that really count start later. A groin that tightens in the third week of September has a way of focusing minds.

The numbers

The Dodgers carry a 93-60 record (.608) into the weekend, sitting first in the NL West and riding a one-game winning streak. That record reflects a club that has built enough of a cushion to manage its roster carefully — and to absorb a one-inning start without a full-scale alarm.

Where the club stands

At 93-60 and atop the NL West, the Dodgers are in the position every contender wants to be in during the third week of September: playing meaningful games without needing to play desperate ones. The upcoming schedule brings the San Francisco Giants to UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20, followed by the San Diego Padres on Tuesday, September 22.

Saturday's probable starter is listed as Tarik Skubal against a Giants starter to be determined. Skubal's presence in the Dodgers' rotation carries its own recent history — a week removed from the news that he underwent an elbow scope in May 2026 to remove a bone spur, Skubal has since posted a 2.70 ERA following that procedure, per earlier Posterior Wire reporting. The fact that he is taking the ball Saturday is itself a data point about how that recovery has gone.

The bullpen picture also shifted this week. Manager Dave Roberts indicated on September 17 that Edwin Díaz was expected to be reinstated from the injured list the following day, with the caveat that Díaz would be used in low-leverage situations only upon his return. That is the kind of sentence that contains multitudes in October planning — a closer available but on a short leash, at least initially.

What we don't know yet

The confidence level on Snell's next start is real but not absolute. MLB.com's Sarah Wexler reported the expectation, and Snell himself expressed it, but a groin that shortened one start to a single inning is a groin that bears watching. The specific timing of that next start, the target inning count, and whether the Dodgers intend to stretch him out or keep him on a pitch limit have not been reported.

More broadly, the postseason rotation structure — who starts Game 1, who goes in relief, how Sasaki's workload is managed after his IL stint — is not something the club has laid out publicly. Those decisions will be shaped in part by how Snell's next start goes and how he feels coming out of it.

What to watch

### Is Snell on track for his next start?

The first thing to monitor is whether Snell's next scheduled turn proceeds as expected. If he takes the mound and works multiple innings without issue, the groin concern recedes. If the start is skipped, shortened again, or pushed back, the conversation about his October availability changes in tone.

Beyond Snell specifically, the Dodgers' rotation management over the final week of the regular season will tell you something about how they are thinking about the postseason bracket. Sasaki's one scheduled start, Skubal's Saturday assignment, and whatever slot Snell fills will collectively sketch the outline of an October staff — even if the club is not drawing that outline publicly yet.

The Giants series this weekend and the Padres series next week offer a window into how Los Angeles handles the final regular-season reps for a rotation that has been reshuffled more than once in the last several days. Watch the pitch counts, watch the early hooks, and watch whether any of these starters come out of their outings talking about how they feel. In late September, that last part tends to be the most informative box score of all.