If it worked for Tarik Skubal, it’s worth a try. Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes told reporters on Monday that pitcher Blake Snell will undergo the same semi-experimental procedure as the Detroit Tigers ace to clean up loose bodies in his left elbow.
Snell was placed on IL last week with the issue, just a week after Skubal. Snell became the second Dodgers pitcher to go out with the ailment, after closer Edwin Díaz was placed on IL in April for loose bodies in his right elbow.
Rather than typical arthroscopic surgery, Skubal underwent surgery on the elbow with a new, smaller surgical scope operated by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, an orthopedic surgeon who has worked on a number of high-profile athletes.
Now, per Gomes, Snell will undergo the same procedure, with surgery set to take place on Tuesday. The Dodgers are hoping that the new tool will take a month off Snell’s return timeline.
ElAttrache told The Athletic last week more about the needle-sized scope, which is known as the NanoNeedle Scope 2.0 and consists of a fiber-optic tube with a light and a camera lens. While a traditional arthroscope is 4 millimeters in diameter, the NanoNeedle is 1.9 millimeters.
As a result, ElAttrache was able to remove a chunk of bone — which the doctor described as about the size of a lima bean — from Skubal’s elbow with a smaller incision than he would with a traditional arthroscope.
Skubal’s agent Scott Boras later coined the procedure the “Skubal scope.” However, Skubal is not the first pro athlete to undergo a procedure with the tool: Winnipeg Jets and Team USA goaltender Connor Hellebuyck had the NanoNeedle used on his knee to repair a torn meniscus in November 2025.
Initially, the timetable for Skubal’s return was up to two months, but the surgery reportedly brought that time range down to 4-6 weeks. Skubal was even throwing again in a bullpen session on Monday, less than two weeks after the surgery. He told reporters on Monday that he had no symptoms after the surgery, via MLB.com.
“I'm trying to keep the governor on a little bit,” Skubal said, via MLB.com. “That's the guidance I've been told is just, 'Hold it back, you're going to feel good, but try to keep the reins on a little bit, and then as you respond well, and as you keep bouncing back well from each bullpen session, just kind of go out there and compete.' I think that's the hardest part right now, because I feel really good and want to let it go. But I've been instructed not to.”
Now, it will be Snell’s turn to see if he can experience that kind of recovery. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Saturday that they were “encouraged” by the new surgery, and that they were expecting “a quicker recovery.”
“Expect him certainly back this season. Don’t know really a timetable, but I think just kind of with the MRI, the scans and everything, we feel good about getting sooner rather than later,” Roberts said.
