KIM KLEMENT/USA TODAY SPORTS
Left-handed pitcher Blake Snell has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Monday, July 22, due to loose bodies in his left elbow.
Source confirms Blake Snell will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body in his left elbow. @JCTSports was first with the news.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 25, 2019
Arthroscopic surgery is scheduled for Monday, July 29, in St. Petersburg, Fla., to remove the loose bodies.
The Rays anticipate that Snell will be ready to return to the club in September, banking on a successful surgery and rehab process.
Snell, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, has not been up to par this year. He is 6-7 with a 4.28 ERA in 20 starts this season, with 136 strikeouts in 101 innings. The 26-year-old had been excellent this month, with a 1.13 ERA in three July starts however.
Losing their ace is a big hit for the Rays as they push for a playoff berth. Tampa Bay is one game behind the Oakland Athletics for the second AL Wild Card slot entering play today, at 58-47. The Rays are off today, and they open a six-game road trip against the Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox on Friday in Toronto.
Plus Tampa Bay is already missing one key starting pitcher in Tyler Glasnow. The right-hander is on the 60-day injured list with a right forearm strain and hasn’t pitched since May 10. Most likely Snell will also be placed on the 60 day after this surgery goes through.
If the Rays aren’t expecting Snell till September, they might be another AL team that needs to make some moves at the deadline to make their way to a playoff spot.
