LOS ANGELES — Blake Snell took a massive step in his return to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday — and issued an apology for the language he used to respond to a fan who asked about the status of his injured left shoulder.
“I should watch my language a little bit, but outside of that, it was pretty true,” Snell said after his response to a fan on his Twitch stream this week. Snell stressed to the fan that he was doing his best to get back to the Dodgers after dealing with shoulder trouble throughout the first year of his five-year, $182 million deal.
He just used some colorful words to defend himself, saying, “What the f— do you want me to do?”
“I’m going to have fun, going to be myself,” Snell said. “I gotta watch my language, though. If my mom sees that … she probably will.
“I ain’t got the call yet (from her), but it’s coming.”
Snell is getting closer to returning for the Dodgers. The two-time Cy Young Award winner was on the Dodger Stadium mound hours before first pitch against the Texas Rangers, facing Alex Call and Tommy Edman over the course of a 15-pitch simulated inning. That marked the first time Snell had faced hitters since Game 7 of the World Series — an important milestone as he looks to rejoin the reigning back-to-back champions.
“I got a lot of work to do still,” Snell said, “but definitely a big step.”
He’s antsy to get back, too.
“I just miss pitching,” Snell said. “It’s what I love.”
“I think that he’s just excited because he feels strong, he feels healthy,” manager Dave Roberts said.
Snell could be sent out on a rehab assignment if his next few live sessions go well. His desire to get back quickly fueled his Twitch response, which went semi-viral on other social media platforms, not just for his language, but for Snell using the time to “talk” to his left shoulder.
“Hey, shoulder,” Snell told his shoulder on the stream. “Don’t have inflammation. Don’t pitch in the postseason when your shoulder didn’t feel good. Don’t try to win a World Series. You can’t start the season because your shoulder hurts from pitching? Well, figure it (out).”
Snell dealt with a balky shoulder before his season officially began in 2025. He initially felt discomfort during the Dodgers’ season-opening trip to Tokyo, where he pitched in an exhibition against the Hanshin Tigers. Snell wound up making two regular-season starts last year before going on the injured list in April. The left-hander missed the next four months.
Snell’s shoulder continued to bother him when he came back, though he pitched through it as the Dodgers made their postseason push. He threw the baseball well, logging a 2.41 ERA in 52 1/3 innings the rest of the regular season and throwing an additional 34 innings in the postseason.
That came at a cost. Surgery was never on the table — offseason imaging didn’t reveal any structural damage — but Snell’s shoulder bothered him up until shortly before the start of spring training.
The Dodgers and Snell have opted to take things slow. For just about every other team in baseball, Snell’s absence would represent a massive storyline. Instead, Snell didn’t throw his first bullpen session until March 13. Los Angeles is an MLB-best 10-3 without him. Like with everything the Dodgers do, October is the biggest priority.
The hope is that, by taking things slow now, Snell’s shoulder issues will be past him the rest of the way as the Dodgers seek a third consecutive title.
The 33-year-old said he’s made changes to try to avoid having his shoulder flare up again. He’s brought back some old workouts from his younger days with the Tampa Bay Rays. He’s tweaked his diet to try to boost his recovery. He’s even started doing Pilates, which he said has “helped me a ton.”
“I’m just very excited about how I feel right now, where I’m at. Getting back to some normalcy again feels really good,” Snell said. “I just can’t wait to pitch.”
Snell’s Twitch interaction this week still begged a question: If he was talking to his shoulder, was his shoulder a good listener?
“I think so,” Snell said. “I’ve been listening to it, so to finally be able to talk back was good.”