Coming off a seven-year streak of playoff appearances, their longest since 11 in a row from 1995 to 2005, the Atlanta Braves did not to get off to the start they would have hoped for in 2025. Heading into Monday’s matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Braves had won only eight of their first 21 games and sat in last place, a half-game behind the Washington Nationals in the Nation League East.
A rare bright spot for Atlanta had been the return of righty mound ace Spencer Strider, an All-Star in 2023. Strider that season, only his second full year in the big leagues, won 20 games against just five losses, making him the first MLB pitcher since 2019 to hit that benchmark and first in the NL since Max Scherzer did it for the Nationals in 2016.
But Strider, who signed a six-year, $75 million contract extension late in the 2022 season, saw his 2024 season cut short by ulnar collateral ligament surgery on his right elbow after just two starts. The injury not only cost the 2020 fourth-round draft pick out of Clemson the remainder of 2024, but Strider also missed spring training this year and did not get back on the mound until April 16.
Solid Start for Strider After 376 Days Away
That start gave Strider and the Braves every cause for optimism. In a solid performance after 376 days without throwing a Major League pitch, Strider allowed a pair of runs on five hits and a walk in five innings. He also struck out five â his fifth K being the 500th recorded in his career. His fastball registered 96.7 mph early in the game.
The Braves bats didn’t give Strider much support, however, as the Braves lost that game 3-1 to the Toronto Blue Jays. But on Monday, the day before he was scheduled to make his second start â this one against the St. Louis Cardinals â the Braves announced that Strider was back on the injured list.
What happened? If there is a silver lining to the head-spinning setback, it’s that Strider’s latest injury is not related to his pitching elbow. Instead, Strider somehow suffered a right hamstring strain while playing catch on Monday. Shortly after realizing that he was injured, Strider informed manager Brian Snitker that felt unable to make his start on Tuesday.
The club did not explain why, rather than simply allowing Strider to miss a turn in the rotation, it placed him in the 15-day IL. According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, “given he just returned from a long rehab process, they will likely take a cautious approach regarding his return.”
Setback Just Latest For Troubled Braves Staff
The Braves did not announce their pitching plans for Tuesday’s game, but with Strider on the IL, Atlanta recalled 30-year-old righty Michael Petersen from the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers. The Braves acquired Petersen from the Los Angeles Angels on April 2, after he had appeared in just one game for the Salt Lake Bees, the Angels Triple-A affiliate in the Pacific Coast League.
Peterson made one appearance for the Braves, on April 13 against the Tampa Bay Rays. He threw two scoreless, hitless innings in relief, striking out one in what turned out to be another loss for the Braves.
According to Bowman’s report, the Braves will need “the next few days” to get a better idea of how serious Strider’s hamstring injury actually is. The latest reversal for Strider only makes an already ailing pitching staff even shakier. The Braves lost starter Reynaldo Lopez to arthroscopic shoulder surgery after just one start. Lopez is shut down for at least 12 weeks.
And 15-year veteran Chris Sale, last year’s NL Cy Young Award winner, is off to a frustrating start to his 2025 season, with a 6.17 ERA after five starts. Sale led the NL in ERA at 2.38, wins with 18 and strikeouts with 225 in his Cy Young season.
On a hopeful note, however, the Braves recorded their fourth straight win on Monday, defeating the Cardinals 7-6.
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