Blake Snell will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow on Tuesday in Los Angeles. Whether his return is expected to be about three months, like closer Edwin Díaz, or perhaps a shorter timetable depends on what Dr. Neal ElAttrache finds during the procedure.
A potential example of the shorter timeline is Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, who had surgery on May 6. Skubal’s surgery was also performed by Dr. ElAttrache, who used a smaller NanoNeedle during the procedure. Cody Stavenhagen wrote about the procedure at The Athletic:
In the room with Skubal, ElAttrache explained how the smaller scope could change the procedure. There would be a smaller incision, almost like a poke for an IV. Where a larger arthroscope has to push through layers of tissue, sometimes causing more bleeding, scarring and inflammation, the NanoNeedle could more easily glide to the location. The surgery would require pumping an estimated 65 percent less fluid to insufflate the joint.
Skubal threw his first bullpen session for the Tigers on Monday, just 12 days after the surgery.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes spoke with reporters about Snell and other topics on Monday in San Diego, per Sonja Chen at MLB.com:
“Hopefully, it’s the shorter timeline,” Gomes said. “That’s the hope and expectation right now. Obviously we don’t know 100% until they’re in there, but that’s what we’re expecting.”
Gomes also talked about newcomer Eric Lauer, who was acquired on Sunday and will be activated during this series in San Diego. Lauer will likely pitch in relief this week before slotting into the six-man rotation next week at some point, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
Justin Turner through the weekend was hitting .314/.424/.543 in 21 games for the Tijuana Toros in the Mexican League, where he’s managed by Roberto Kelly, another former Dodger. The 41-year-old Turner talked with Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times:
“I love playing,” he said. “I love competing. As long as I feel I’m serviceable and not just here for entertainment purposes, I’m going to keep doing it.”
John Gennaro writes about the Padres at his Bandwagon Beach newsletter, and captured the concept of baseball rivalries quite nicely:
The thing about rivals is that they are necessary. They are the result of multiple teams from the same division going after the exact same piece of glory and hardware. You’re probably not going to get to where you want to go without a rival pushing you to find your absolute peak. That’s what shows you where the ceiling is. That’s how you get to where you want to be.
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