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Blake Snell offered details on how his left elbow surgery compared to the procedure Tarik Skubal underwent, per Dodger Blue. Snell, who made his only start of the 2026 season on May 9 before going under the knife to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, had the operation performed using NanoNeedle technology — the same approach Skubal used. But Snell made clear the two situations weren’t identical, despite the shared technique.

Snell’s surgery is a significant chapter in what has been a frustrating tenure with the Dodgers. The left-hander signed a massive deal to anchor this rotation, and he’s been limited to just one start this year. The NanoNeedle procedure is designed to cut recovery time roughly in half compared to traditional arthroscopic surgery, which is encouraging. But Snell is 33 now, and the elbow issues add to a career that has been defined by stretches of brilliance interrupted by durability concerns. When he’s right, he’s a legitimate front-of-the-rotation arm — the guy won back-to-back Cy Young Awards in 2018 and 2023. The problem has always been keeping him on the mound. His willingness to discuss the specifics of his procedure publicly suggests he’s engaged in the recovery process and confident in the approach the medical staff has taken.

Skubal’s connection to this story is worth watching for entirely different reasons. He underwent the same NanoNeedle procedure and has been the subject of trade speculation linking him to the Dodgers (Bob Nightengale of USA Today recently said he wouldn’t be surprised if Skubal ended up in Los Angeles). The fact that Snell felt the need to distinguish his surgery from Skubal’s tells us something — there’s clearly awareness within the clubhouse of the Skubal chatter, and Snell wants people to understand his own situation on its own terms. Skubal, for his part, has been one of the best pitchers in baseball when healthy, winning the 2024 AL Cy Young Award with Detroit.

For the Dodgers, this is another data point in what has been a brutal year for pitching health. Tyler Glasnow has suffered multiple setbacks. Snell has been out since May. Miguel Díaz is still working his way back. The rotation has been held together by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, River Ryan, and the emergence of Justin Wrobleski (who just earned an All-Star nod). The NanoNeedle technology giving Snell a faster return timeline is genuinely good news, but we’ve been burned enough times this season that I’m not counting on anything until he’s back on a big-league mound throwing competitive innings. The Dodgers need reinforcements — whether that comes from Snell’s return, the trade market, or both, this front office has to find a way to patch this rotation together for the second half.

Source(s): Staff (Dodger Blue) | First reported: July 13, 2026 4:36 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers