The Atlanta Braves will be without one of their top arms for at least the next two weeks.
Atlanta placed starting pitcher Spencer Strider on the 15-day injured list Saturday after imaging revealed inflammation in his right elbow. The move comes one day after Strider exited the Braves’ loss to the New York Mets due to discomfort in both his right shoulder and elbow.
Strider’s outing Friday ended abruptly just one batter into the fourth inning. The right-hander surrendered six hits and a season-high seven earned runs across three innings of work, allowing three home runs before leaving the game. His fastball velocity also dipped significantly as the outing progressed.
“The alarm bells went off when we started seeing the upper 80s with his fastball,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said after Friday’s game.
Following the injury designation, Atlanta recalled right-handed pitcher Anthony Molina to fill Strider’s roster spot. The latest setback is particularly concerning given Strider’s recent injury history. He underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in 2019 and later required an internal brace procedure on the same elbow in April 2024 after suffering another UCL injury.
According to Weiss, Strider informed the coaching staff of the shoulder and elbow soreness during the game but was unaware of the velocity decline. After a brief conversation on the mound, he exited the contest.
While the Braves now know inflammation is present, the organization is still seeking more answers. According to AJC Braves beat reporter Chad Bishop, Weiss said Saturday that there is “nothing definitive yet” regarding Strider’s condition. The right-hander is scheduled to meet with Dr. Keith Meister later this week for further evaluation. Meister is the same surgeon who performed Strider’s internal brace procedure in 2024.
The injury comes after Strider had already missed significant time earlier this season while recovering from a strained left oblique. Friday’s start was his eighth appearance of the year for the MLB-leading Braves.
Strider owns a 4-2 record with a 5.31 ERA this season. Since returning from elbow surgery last year, he has gone 11-16 with a 4.66 ERA.
Before the 2024 procedure, Strider had established himself as one of baseball’s most dominant pitchers. He compiled a 32-10 record with a 3.47 ERA across his first 67 major league appearances and became the sport’s most recent 20-game winner in 2023. That season, he finished 20-5 and reached 200 strikeouts in just 130 innings, the fastest any pitcher has ever recorded 200 strikeouts in a season.
For now, the Braves will wait for additional medical evaluations and hope the inflammation proves to be a temporary setback rather than another major interruption in Strider’s career.
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