The Los Angeles Dodgers can win the National League West with a win on Wednesday night, but suddenly their concern is on Blake Snell.
Snell exited Wednesday's game after just one inning of work with groin tightness. Snell threw just 19 pitches, 10 for strikes, but the team replaced him with Blake Treinen the following inning. Snell has dfealt with groin issues before, and has missed most of this season with an elbow issue.
"It was not immediately clear what caused the issue, or how severe his injury was believed to be, Dodgers insider Jack Harris wrote for the California Post. "However, one source with knowledge of the situation described Snell’s removal as 'precautionary,' offering at least some early optimism that he had avoided something more serious."
The Dodgers are already down Shohei Ohtani in the rotation. They were expected to have Tarik Skubal, Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow in the postseason rotation. Roki Sasaki is working his way back from a blister, but the team was going to decide whether to return him as a starter or a reliever.
Given how stacked the Dodgers' postseason rotation would have been with Snell, Sasaki was likely headed to the bullpen. However, if Snell goes on the injured list, the Dodgers may need Sasaki back in the rotation. Snell has gone on the injured list with a groin injury twice in his career so far.
