Snell Strikes Out 10 in Dodgers Return From Elbow Injury

Blake Snell struck out 10 batters over six innings in his return to the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, three months after going on the injured list with loose bodies in his left elbow.

Snell opened the game by striking out the side on 13 pitches — a first for him as a Dodger — and allowed just one run on three hits while walking one before leaving in the sixth with the score tied. The Dodgers went on to beat the Kansas City Royals 5-4 in 10 innings, though Snell did not factor in the decision.

"He was fantastic," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "I just liked the look in his eye and obviously talking about how good he feels physically. I give him a lot of credit for really attacking and not trying to be too fine."

Snell gave up back-to-back singles to Bobby Witt Jr. and Jac Caglianone in the fourth inning, with Witt scoring on a Salvador Perez sacrifice fly to tie the game 1-1. He surrendered a double to Tyler Tolbert in the fifth before departing.

"To be able to do that for six innings and feel like I had more left, I'm excited about that," Snell said, adding that being aggressive and staying in the strike zone were key after a frustrating first outing.

The 33-year-old left-hander had made just one start this season, giving up four runs in three innings against Atlanta on May 9 before landing on the injured list four days later. He is one of three Dodgers pitchers to undergo surgery for loose bodies this season, along with closer Edwin Díaz and fellow two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.

"That's the Snell that we're used to seeing," said teammate Max Muncy, who drove in the winning run in the 10th inning. Snell made four rehab starts before rejoining the rotation, striking out 19 batters in the process.

In other roster moves, the Dodgers transferred reliever Blake Treinen to the 60-day injured list and optioned left-hander Charlie Barnes back to the minors.