Blake Snell suggests Giants are trying to rush him back from injury

Apr 8, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Blake Snell (7) pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco Giants are in dire need of pitching help, and injured starter Blake Snell seems to feel that he is being rushed a bit in the hope that he can provide it.

Snell looked unsteady in a rehab outing at Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday, allowing three hits with three walks and two earned runs in just 1 2/3 innings. After the game, Snell expressed frustration, both with his lack of progress in recovering from a groin injury and the pressure the Giants seem to be putting on him to return.

“I haven’t felt like myself yet,” Snell said, via Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle. “It’s just, ‘We need you. We need you. We need you.’ It’s not like, ‘Let’s get him right,’ and I have to deal with it.

“I want to be healthy and 100 percent and I haven’t been. I’ve just been fighting to rush back. So that’s my take. I’m frustrated with that. And you don’t get the product of what I should be and it’s just frustrating. I want to go out there and dominate and pitch the way that I pitch but it’s more important that I’m out there.”

This certainly sounds a bit like frustration boiling over for Snell, and that is understandable. The All-Star left-hander signed late, got hurt three starts into the year, missed a month, then got hurt again after another three starts. That is obviously not how he wanted his first season with the Giants to go.

The Giants are 36-42 entering play Monday, and Logan Webb and Jordan Hicks are their only healthy starting pitchers. Their eagerness to get Snell back makes sense, but pushing him might not be having the impact they wanted it to. Still, they have a right to be frustrated as well, especially with how much they are paying him.