Right-hander Spencer Strider will begin the season on the injured list. This is the latest blow to the Atlanta Braves’ starting rotation. Manager Walt Weiss told reporters on Monday that Strider has been diagnosed with an oblique strain.
Strider’s Injury and Potential Return
Strider had been scheduled to start in Monday’s spring training finale against Pittsburgh before being scratched. The team hasn’t issued a timeline for Strider’s return, but Weiss said the hope is that he can return in a few weeks.
Strider’s Performance
Strider, 27, missed most of the first six weeks of last season and then delivered the worst year of his career, going 7-14 with a 4.45 ERA and 131 strikeouts. He went 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA in 8 1/3 innings of work in spring training for the Braves as he tries to regain the form he showed in 2023, when the All-Star led the majors with 20 victories and 281 strikeouts.
Other Braves’ Injuries
The injury is the latest setback for an Atlanta starting rotation. Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep have been put on the 60-day injured list after undergoing elbow surgery. Lefty Joey Wentz has been declared out for the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee.
Offensive Side Injuries and Suspensions
Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim will miss more than a month with a hand injury. Jurickson Profar was suspended for the entire season after a positive PED test.