Giants pitcher Blake Snell exits start with groin tightness, appears headed back to injured list

Updated Jun. 2, 2024 9:54 p.m. ET

Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Giants pitcher Blake Snell appears headed to the injured list for a second time this season after leaving Sunday's start against the New York Yankees with left groin tightness.

A similar injury landed Snell on the IL for a month this year when he was sidelined by a left adductor strain. The two-time Cy Young Award winner will have an MRI on Monday.

“It feels the same, so we’ll see,” Snell told reporters at Oracle Park. “The MRI will tell us and we’ll go from there. It’s definitely a bummer and frustrating, but got to look on to what’s next and attack that, get better and get back on the field.”

Snell threw 99 pitches. The 31-year-old left-hander was removed with a 1-1 count on Alex Verdugo with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth inning.

“I don’t think he’s moving around worse than the last time but I don’t know how it’s not an IL (situation),” San Francisco manager Bob Melvin said after his team's 7-5 defeat.

Snell is 0-3 with a 9.51 ERA in six starts for San Francisco since signing a $62 million, two-year contract as a free agent. He won the 2023 NL Cy Young Award with San Diego.

He missed most of spring training after signing on March 19, then was on the injured list from April 23 to May 22. He also spent a few days on the paternity list awaiting the birth of his first child, and hasn’t been able to get back up to speed since.

Snell gave up Juan Soto's solo home run in the first inning Sunday, then weaved his way around traffic in each of the next three innings. He hasn't lasted five innings in any of his six starts with San Francisco, and his ERA is the highest among Giants pitchers still on the roster.

Before the latest setback, however, Snell felt he was on the right path.

“A lot of good stuff’s been happening the last couple of weeks to where I was like, OK, it's coming," Snell said. “We’ll get there. I can stay here. There’s been a lot that I’ve learned this year that is going to help me get back quicker and start dominating. It sucks that this happened, but it happened. So face it head on and attack it and get back.”

Snell said this is the fourth or fifth time over the past three to four years that he’s dealt with a groin injury.

“What I’m doing, I've got to change something or add something,” he said. “Definitely got to add something strengthening-wise that I haven’t been doing so that I can get the muscle even more prepared for 100 pitches a game. Got a lot to learn, but definitely got to get stronger and make sure this stops happening.”

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