The Dodgers on Sunday placed Blake Snell on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation, giving the team 12 pitchers on the IL.

Snell fought command in his first two starts with the Dodgers, walking four and striking out two each time out. He allowed two runs in five innings in the home opener against the Tigers, then allowed five runs (all unearned) in four innings against Atlanta last Wednesday.

The Snell IL move is retroactive to Thursday, which means the earliest he can return is Friday, April 18.

The left-hander was lined up to start Tuesday in Washington D.C., but now the final two games against the Nationals have starting pitcher vacancies. The Dodgers won’t start Yoshinobu Yamamoto on four days rest so Wednesday is also TBD.

Justin Wrobleski pitched 5⅔ scoreless innings Wednesday for Oklahoma City last Wendesday and Landon Knack pitched 4⅔ innings Thursday. Both would line up well for starts in Washington if the Dodgers so choose.

In the interim, the Dodgers recalled Matt Sauer from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday to give them length out of the bullpen.

Sunday is the third game of six straight days with a game for the Dodgers, and to date this season the bullpen has pitched more innings (46⅓) than the starters (43⅔). Ben Casparius pitched two innings each on Wednesday and Saturday.

This is the second major league stint for Sauer this season, as he was active for the second game against the Cubs on March 19 in Tokyo but did not pitch. He was optioned on March 20 as the Dodgers set their roster for the home opener.

Sauer last pitched on Wednesday for Oklahoma City, with a three-inning start, allowing a run on two hits with two strikeouts in his 39 pitches. Three of his outings as a non-roster invitee in spring training were in bulk relief lasting at least two innings, topping out at 2⅔ innings.