Blake Snell signed a two-year, $62 million contract with the San Francisco Giants before the start of this MLB season. However, due to prolonged negotiations in free agency, the left-handed pitcher missed the entire spring training.
As a result, Snell has struggled with form and fitness since the start of his Giants tenure. He has already suffered a left adductor muscle injury, which caused him to miss a month of baseball in April and May. Later, the reigning NL Cy Young winner suffered a groin injury during a game against the New York Yankees on June 2nd and hasn't been fully healthy yet.
What's the latest news on the 31-year-old ace's health? Will he play again this season for the Giants? Let's look at the latest update on Snell.
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Blake Snell Injury Update for Fantasy Baseball
Blake Snell has made two rehab starts for the Sacramento River Cats in the Pacific Coast League. In his first outing on June 23rd, he threw just 51 pitches, but in his latest start on Friday, the former Padres star threw 62 pitches.
Snell recorded six strikeouts and conceded three earned runs in his latest rehab start. He will pitch for the River Cats again this coming Wednesday and is expected to make his return soon for the Giants.
Blake Snell caps off his night with six punchouts in three total frames pic.twitter.com/F4OgMKAXcE
— Sacramento River Cats (@RiverCats) June 29, 2024
As mentioned earlier, Snell missed the entire spring training, but these latest appearances in the Pacific Coast League will help him get back to his best. He is currently placed on the 15-day injured list and is estimated to pitch for the Giants around July 9th, barring any late setbacks.
Blake Snell Fantasy Baseball Outlook
Blake Snell had a phenomenal year with the Padres last season and won the second Cy Young Award of his career. In 32 appearances last year, he had a record of 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA while recording 234 strikeouts. Snell averaged an impressive 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings (K/9) while allowing 1.19 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP).
However, the story hasn't been the same for him this year. After signing a lucrative deal with the Giants, Snell has made just six appearances for them this year. He has a poor ERA of 9.51, and while he still has 11.79 Ks/9, he is giving up 1.94 walks plus hits per inning pitched.
LHP Blake Snell (groin) will pitch again for AAA Sacramento on Wednesday, and is tentatively scheduled to return during the next homestand.
Snell started on Friday in Las Vegas, throwing 3 innings and allowing 3 runs on 4 hits with a walk and 6 strikeouts.#SFGiants pic.twitter.com/v424i96Ka6
— SF Giants Update (@Giants__Update) June 29, 2024
Snell's struggles could directly be linked to his absence during spring training. However, now that he will have some rehab starts under his belt, the lefty could make some impact for the Giants to finish the season on a high. For the managers who have Snell on their rosters, you could wait until at least he makes one appearance for the Giants in July before deciding to trade him or permanently bench him.
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