Mere days since making his return to the majors after undergoing elbow surgery roughly a year ago, Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider is back on the injured list – this time because of a strained right hamstring. Strider suffered the injury playing catch Monday and told reporters, including The Athletic, he has a Grade 1 strain. The team did not provide a timetable for his return.
Grade 1 strains are the least severe, though they can still sideline a player for a month or longer. Strider's injured list placement is retroactive to April 18, and the Braves have recalled right-hander Michael Petersen to take his spot on the active roster and the pitching staff.
The Atlanta rotation is also without Reynaldo López, who's recovering from arthroscopic shoulder surgery performed in early April. Righty Scott Blewett, who was acquired in a cash trade with the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, will make the spot start in Strider's place Tuesday.
Strider, 26, looked solid in his lone start of 2025 to date, as he permitted two runs on five hits in five innings of work against the Blue Jays on April 16. In that start, he recorded five strikeouts against one walk.
Strider's potent right elbow gave out just two starts into his 2024 campaign, and he soon underwent an internal-brace procedure to repair his UCL. That typically has a shorter recovery timeline than Tommy John surgery, but the Braves handled Strider's return conservatively given that he also underwent Tommy John in college. Across the combined 2022-23 seasons, Strider pitched to a 2.43 FIP over 318 ⅓ innings and struck out 37.4% of opposing batters. When healthy and in top form, Strider is a leading Cy Young candidate in the National League. That means this loss is a notable one for a Braves team that enters Tuesday's night's game against the Cardinals (ATL -105, STL -115, over/under 8.5, per Caesars) with a disappointing 9-13 record on the season.
