It has been a rough 2024 season thus far for the reigning NL Cy Young award winner, Blake Snell, and things don't seem to be getting any better for the 31-year old lefty. Following his Sunday night start in a 7-5 loss for his San Francisco Giants against the surging New York Yankees, Snell re-aggravated his groin injury, and now, he's set to miss some time because of it.
The Giants have put Snell on the 15-day injured list with a left groin strain, as per their official Twitter (X) account. Snell missed 25 games earlier in the season due to a similar injury, and according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Giants may end up being more cautious with their lefty starter this time around.
Thus, per Rosenthal, there is a chance that Blake Snell's absence extends until after the All-Star break. That may not be such a bad thing for the Giants, as Snell has endured a nightmare of a season following a prolonged stay in free agency.
It wasn't until the middle of March that Snell signed a two-year, $62 million deal with the Giants with an opt out after the first year. Teams' reticence when it comes to signing a Cy Young award winner was unprecedented, but there are durability concerns and walk issues that follow Snell, making such hesitation a bit justifiable.
Now, it seems like this delayed start to the season has been damaging to Snell and his production on the mound. Injury woes have already limited him to just six starts (23.2 innings pitched), but when he has been healthy enough on the mound, he has been a shell of his award-winning self. He has pitched to the tune of a 9.51 ERA, allowing 25 earned runs in his limited stints on the bump.
When does it end for Blake Snell?
No one could have written a worse start to the 2024 season for Blake Snell than what he has endured to this point. On April 19, after just his third start of the season, Snell had allowed 15 earned runs in 11.2 innings of work. It seemed like he was primed for a bounce-back outing against the struggling New York Mets. However, he strained his groin during a bullpen session, forcing him to the 15-day injured list.
Snell hoped back then that he would miss just two weeks; he ended up missing a month or so of action due to the injury, but the time off didn't seem to do him any better. Once he made his return on May 22, the Giants starter continued to struggle. He still has not allowed fewer than three runs in a single game this season, and he hasn't pitched more than 4.2 innings. For reference, Snell crossed the 4.2 inning-mark in 29 of his 32 starts last season, and he allowed fewer than three earned runs in 25 starts.
Now, Blake Snell is robbed of the opportunity to bounce back yet again now that he's headed to the injured list once more after sustaining another injury to the same body part. It's becoming more and more likely that Snell and the Giants simply may have to acknowledge that the 2024 season is a lost cause.
At least for Snell, the contract he signed this past offseason allows him to have financial security despite his putrid 2024 season to this point. Given how injury-ravaged his season has been, not to mention how poorly he has performed when he has been healthy enough, Rosenthal noted that Snell might stay with the Giants for one more season (opting into his contract of $31 million for next season) in an attempt to rehabilitate his value.
How do the Giants proceed from here?
With Blake Snell headed to the injured list, it's unclear how the Giants will fill the void they have in the starting rotation. On Monday night, the Giants called upon Erik Miller to open the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks; Miller is a 24-year old rookie with a fastball that averages 97 miles per hour, but he has worked mostly from the bullpen throughout his time with the organization.
Miller only functioned as an opener, so perhaps this is how the Giants will be handling things with Snell out. To Miller's credit, he blanked the Diamondbacks in his lone inning of work despite allowing two hits. The Giants then called upon Spencer Howard to pitch behind Miller, and Howard allowed just two runs in 4.2 innings.
Logan Webb, Jordan Hicks, and Kyle Harrison are expected to keep the Giants rotation afloat, while Keaton Winn could soon return from the IL to fill a rotation spot.
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