LOS ANGELES (AP) — Blake Snell was a late scratch from his scheduled start for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, less than a week after the two-time Cy Young Award winner made his season debut.
Will Klein was set to start in Snell’s place against the Los Angeles Angels.
Snell rejoined the rotation sooner than anticipated last Saturday, allowing four earned runs over three innings against the Atlanta Braves. He had been on the injured list since late March with left shoulder fatigue.
Snell missed most of the 2025 regular season because of a lingering shoulder injury, making just 11 starts after signing a $182 million, five-year contract in November 2024. But the left-hander went 3-2 in six postseason appearances to help the Dodgers win their second consecutive World Series title.
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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell pitches during the second inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Blake Snell (7) puts on his baseball cap ahead of the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
HOUSTON (AP) — Corey Seager is out of the lineup for the Texas Rangers in the opener of a three-game series at Houston, some extra down time after a day off for team as the two-time World Series MVP shortstop battles his worst slump in the big leagues.
Ezequiel Duran is set to start at shortstop and bat second against the Astros on Friday night. Seager has been the No. 3 hitter most of the season.
Seager is hitless in his last seven games, part of a longer 0-for-27 slide that is a career-worst and includes 11 strikeouts.
While he has started 42 of the Rangers’ 43 games, Seager has said he feels fine physically. If he doesn't come off the bench against the Astros, it will end a streak of 24 games played since the 32-year-old's only game off this season April 16.
Seager's .179 batting average ranked 163rd out of 171 qualified batters going into Friday's games. Seager, in the fifth season of a $325 million, 10-year deal, has 28 hits and 22 walks but 50 strikeouts account for 27.5% of his 182 plate appearances. He has seven home runs and 20 RBIs.
This is the latest in any of his 12 seasons that Seager, a .285 career hitter in 4,500 at-bats over 1,173 games, has been below .200. He never finished a game under that mark in eight of those seasons.
First-year Rangers manager Skip Schumaker had suggested that keeping Seager out of the lineup would coincide with a day off for the team.
Seager was hitting .194 after 10 games last year, which had been his latest sub-.200 mark, then went 14 for 30 (.467) his next eight games.
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Texas Rangers' Corey Seager watches his fly out to left in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks Monday, May 11, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
