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Blake Snell struck out nine hitters as the Oklahoma City Tower Buzzers rolled past Fresno 12-3 on Wednesday night, per MLB.com. The outing marks the latest step in Snell’s rehab assignment as he works his way back to the Dodgers’ big league rotation.

Snell’s dominance in this start is exactly what the Dodgers needed to see. The left-hander has been building up his workload through rehab appearances with Oklahoma City, and putting up nine punchouts against Triple-A competition suggests his stuff is close to — if not already at — major league caliber. Snell, who signed with the Dodgers as a free agent, has dealt with injuries that have kept him off the big league mound for stretches this season. When healthy, he’s one of the most talented left-handed starters in baseball — a former Cy Young Award winner with Tampa Bay in 2018 and again with San Diego in 2023. His ability to miss bats has never been in question. The question has always been durability and consistency, and outings like this one provide real encouragement on the durability front.

Nine strikeouts in a minor league rehab start is about as loud a statement as you can make without actually being on a big league mound. Snell’s arsenal — the fastball, the curveball, the slider — clearly had Fresno’s lineup overmatched. For a pitcher working his way back, the goal in these outings is to get stretched out, stay healthy, and look sharp. Snell checked all three boxes here.

For the Dodgers, the timing matters. We’re sitting right at the trade deadline, and the rotation picture has been complicated all season. Shohei Ohtani is shut down from pitching with a biceps issue on top of his knee problems. Tyler Glasnow is making progress toward his own return but isn’t back yet. Having Snell close to rejoining the rotation gives the front office more flexibility in how aggressively they pursue pitching on the trade market. If Snell can slot back in and give us five or six quality innings every fifth day, that changes the math on what the Dodgers need before the deadline passes.

The 12-3 blowout from the Tower Buzzers also meant Snell could work in a comfortable game environment — no high-leverage stress, just reps. That’s ideal for a rehab start. I’d expect the Dodgers to make a decision on activating him in the very near future. The stuff is there. The health appears to be there. Now it’s just about getting him back in Dodger Blue and letting him pitch.

Source(s): MLB.com | First reported: July 31, 2026 1:49 AM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers