Blake Snell Takes Important Step Forward in Recovery

Up until Monday, the left-hander had been limited to playing catch before stretching out to long toss. It's not a scenario Snell would prefer but he went into Spring Training with an intention of being more patient.

"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."

Snell threw just 61.1 innings last year, his fewest in a full season.

How Dodgers might replace Blake Snell

The Dodgers expect to open the season with a six-man rotation in a plan that now appears slightly more challenging given Snell's status and Gavin Stone being shut down due to right shoulder trouble. There's also the factor of Roki Sasaki enduring some struggles as he works toward a return to starting.

Every indication from the Dodgers has been Sasaki is still in their plans as a starter. The rotation should also include Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani and Emmet Sheehan.

Snell's injury seemingly is an opportunity for River Ryan despite all three of his Cactus League appearances thus far coming as a reliever. Cole Irvin, Landon Knack and Justin Wrobleski seemingly are candidates to be included in the Dodgers' rotation as well.

It's not yet clear how much of the season Snell will miss but it's reasonable to suspect it will at least be the first month of the season. Particularly if he doesn't pitch in a Spring Training game, which is currently expected to be the case.