The Atlanta Braves have lost yet another starting pitcher, as star right-hander Spencer Strider is heading to the injured list as the club prepares for an Opening Day matchup against the Kansas City Royals on Friday, March 27.
Strider will be sidelined with an oblique strain, reports Mark Bowman of MLB.com. It’s unclear how long the 27-year-old will be on the shelf. The Braves are already missing several members of the pitching staff. Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep are both dealing with bone spurs in their elbows. Joey Wentz tore his ACL. AJ Smith-Shawver is recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Strider has struggled to regain his previous fastball velocity so far this spring. The results have been solid, though. He posted a 3.24 ERA with a 33.3% strikeout rate across 8.1 innings.
Atlanta Braves Lose Spencer Strider to Oblique Injury
The Strider news comes after his best outing of Spring Training. The righty tossed four scoreless innings against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, March 11. He struck out five and allowed just three base runners. The fact that Strider hadn’t pitched in more than a week may have been a red flag regarding his health.
Strider has dealt with persistent injury issues in each of the past two seasons. He went down with an elbow sprain in April 2024. The arm problem ultimately kept him out for the rest of the season. Strider opened the 2025 campaign on the IL as he continued to recover from the elbow injury. He finally returned in late April, only to strain his hamstring and head back to the injured list. Strider finished last season with 125.1 innings across 23 starts.
It’s now been several years since Strider’s breakout 2022 season. He set the league ablaze in his first extended look as a big leaguer, first as a reliever, and then as a starter. Strider delivered a 2.67 ERA across 131.2 innings that year. He put up a massive 38.3% strikeout rate. The righty opened the 2023 season as a regular member of the rotation and put together his best campaign to date. Strider punched out 36.8% of opposing hitters across a career-high 32 starts. He earned his lone All-Star selection and finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting.
Strider Injury Opens the Door for Didier Fuentes
The Braves’ rotation will be led by Chris Sale. Veterans Reynaldo Lopez and Grant Holmes are expected to follow the former Cy Young winner. Bryce Elder remains on the roster, which means he’ll likely be in the rotation. The final spot is now up for grabs with Strider unavailable for Opening Day.
Top prospect Didier Fuentes made the team after a dominant spring. He compiled nine scoreless, hitless innings with an absurd 63.0% strikeout rate. The righty is just 20 years old, but he seems to be ready to contribute in Atlanta. Fuentes was expected to break camp with the team as a bullpen piece. The plan was to have him work in relief to begin the year, then transition back to a starting role. Strider’s absence could change that plan immediately. Boring veterans like Jose Suarez, Martin Perez, and Carlos Carrasco would be the other candidates to open the year in the rotation.
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