Tampa Bay Rays star left-hander Blake Snell will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove a loose body from his pitching elbow and is expected to be sidelined until September.
The Rays placed Snell on the 10-day injured list Thursday, a move that is retroactive to Monday — the day after Snell’s most recent start. The team has not made a corresponding roster move.
It marks the second trip to the IL this season for Snell, last year’s American League Cy Young Award winner. He missed two starts earlier this season because of a toe injury.
He becomes the latest talented Rays pitcher to hit the injured list, joining right-hander Tyler Glasnow.
Snell, 26, is 6-7 with a 4.28 ERA and 136 strikeouts in 101 innings this season.
After struggling with his consistency and command over the first three months of the season, Snell had pitched better in recent weeks, posting a 1.64 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 22 innings over his last four starts.
Through Wednesday’s game, the Rays (58-47) trail the first-place New York Yankees by 10 games in the AL East and are just one game behind the Oakland Athletics (58-45) for the final spot in a heated wild-card race.