Blake Snell likely headed to IL after exiting Giants' loss

SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants starter Blake Snell left Sunday's game against the New York Yankees in the fifth inning with tightness in his left groin, a similar injury to the one he dealt with earlier in the season.

Snell was in the middle of an at-bat against Alex Verdugo before walking off with Giants trainer Dave Groeschner and heading directly into the clubhouse. The veteran's last pitch came in at 97 mph before he pushed off the mound in discomfort.

After the Yankees' 7-5 win, which completed a three-game sweep, San Francisco manager Bob Melvin said the starter will undergo an MRI on Monday, and to expect a stint on the injured list.

"I don't think he's moving around worse than last time," Melvin said, "but I don't know how it's not an IL [situation]."

Snell, 31, in his first season with the Giants after signing in the offseason, hasn't lasted through five full innings yet in 2024 and is still searching for his first victory. A similar injury landed Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, on the IL for a month this year when he was sidelined by a left adductor strain.

"It feels the same, so we'll see," Snell told reporters at Oracle Park. "The MRI will tell us and we'll go from there. It's definitely a bummer and frustrating, but got to look on to what's next and attack that, get better and get back on the field."

Snell, who threw 99 pitches before leaving, missed most of spring training after signing March 19, then was on the injured list from April 23 to May 22. He also spent a few days on the paternity list awaiting the birth of his first child, and hasn't been able to get back up to speed since.

Snell gave up Juan Soto's solo home run in the first inning Sunday, then weaved his way around traffic in each of the next three innings. Still, he's sitting at 0-3 with a 9.51 ERA in six starts for San Francisco since signing a $62 million, two-year contract as a free agent. He won the 2023 NL Cy Young Award with San Diego.

Before the latest setback, however, Snell thought he was on the right path.

"A lot of good stuff's been happening the last couple of weeks to where I was like, OK, it's coming," Snell said. "We'll get there. I can stay here. There's been a lot that I've learned this year that is going to help me get back quicker and start dominating. It sucks that this happened, but it happened. So face it head on and attack it and get back."

Snell said this is the fourth or fifth time over the past three to four years that he has dealt with a groin injury.

"What I'm doing, I've got to change something or add something," he said. "Definitely got to add something strengthening-wise that I haven't been doing so that I can get the muscle even more prepared for 100 pitches a game. Got a lot to learn, but definitely got to get stronger and make sure this stops happening."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.