Blake Snell Is Headed To The IL. Is The Injury Bug Coming For The Dodgers?

Is the injury bug going to ruin the season for the Los Angeles Dodgers? It sure looks like it's trying really hard to.

So far this season, Blake Snell has been exactly what Los Angeles hoped he would be when they signed him to a 5-year deal worth $182 million. The southpaw has made two starts, logging nine innings, four strikeouts and a 1-0 record.

But on Sunday, the Dodgers announced that two-time Cy Young award-winner Blake Snell will be spending a stint on the 15-day IL with shoulder inflammation. Los Angeles recalled pitcher Matt Sauer to take his spot on the active roster.

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Injuries are not uncommon, especially a pitcher who has shoulder inflammation. This isn’t a doomsday event, especially not for a team as loaded as the Dodgers.

But it does continue an unwelcome trend for the best team in the National League.

Last week, reigning World Series MVP Freddie Freeman took an awkward fall in his shower at home and injured his right ankle, which is the same one he hurt last season. 

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Freeman should be off the IL in a few days. Even so, that’s two injuries to big-time pieces of the Dodgers’ vaunted roster. I wrote in my first "Touch ‘Em All" column of the season that if Los Angeles could stay healthy, then no one should stop them from repeating as champions.

But the injury bug seems to be attacking the Dodgers frequently, if not ferociously. Bad juju, or fluke trend?

The rest of the season will reveal that answer.