When Will Blake Snell Return and Be Back? Fantasy Baseball Injury Update

The Blake Snell saga this winter was one of the more unique free-agent situations in recent memory Fresh off his second career Cy Young Award thanks to an MLB-best 2.25 ERA, conventional logic suggests that Snell would have a bevy of suitors on the open market and it would simply come down to a destination of his choosing. While he certainly had more than one offer, Snell decided on a two-year, $62 million deal with the San Francisco Giants, a pact that includes an opt-out for next season.

As it stands, there appears to be at least a real chance the 31-year-old will decline his option. Not only has his on-field performance not gone to plan but an adductor injury and a current groin injury have kept him off the field for the majority of the campaign.

Let's dive into Snell's injury status, how his first season in the Bay Area is going, and what fantasy managers can expect upon his return.

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Blake Snell Injury Update for Fantasy Baseball

Snell threw off flat ground on Tuesday in front of Giants skipper Bob Melvin and is also expected to throw off a mound at some point this week.

Here’s Bob Melvin overseeing Blake Snell and Alex Cobb in their bullpen session from today.

I asked Cobb about his shoulder before he threw and told me he felt great. pic.twitter.com/2mJEo3ROkc

— Carlos M. Ramírez (@Tomapapa) June 11, 2024

While his most recent absence only extends back to June 2, Snell has yet to throw more than 4 2/3 innings in a start this season and has tossed all of 12 big-league innings since April 19. He will almost certainly require a second rehab assignment while it's unclear if he will be able to return before the month of July.

Blake Snell Fantasy Baseball Outlook

The pair of stints on the injured list have limited Snell to just six starts on the season. Said six outings have not gone anywhere close to plan as the veteran has been tagged for an unsightly 9.51 ERA in 23 2/3 innings of work while his control has once again gotten away from him by way of an 11.8% BB%. Keep in mind Snell led all of baseball with 99 free passes a season ago.

At the same time, positive regression is a near certainty. Snell's 4.04 SIERA is more than five runs superior to his surface ERA and he has still struck out 26.1% of the hitters he has faced, even if that figure is below his career norm. Additionally, his massive .404 BABIP is more than 100 points worse than his .292 career mark and his 50.7% left-on-base clip is miles below his 77.2% career mark.

Blake Snell, Dirty 82mph Curveball. 😨 pic.twitter.com/uMeVjC53sa

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 2, 2024

The first order of business is to get healthy, and while fantasy managers will require extra continued patience, it appears Snell should be able to at least provide more traditional value to managers in the season's second half.

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