ATLANTA — Spencer Strider had an MRI on his sore elbow Saturday, and the results showed what the Braves feared: damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in the throwing arm of one of baseball’s most dynamic talents.
The team did not specify the extent of the damage, but UCL tears typically require Tommy John surgery.
“It wasn’t good, and you hate it — hate it for him,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of the MRI results. “I feel really bad for him, a kid who does everything right. Loves competition and just everything. So wait and see what they decide to do.
Strider, 25, previously underwent Tommy John surgery for a torn UCL in 2019 while at Clemson. The Braves said they will not have definitive news regarding the injury and treatment until Strider meets with specialist Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, in the coming days.
Tommy John surgery would end Strider’s season and likely keep him sidelined until the middle of the 2025 season, based on the rehabilitation protocols followed by the Braves and most other teams. Although the Braves have plenty of starting pitching depth in the minors, there would obviously be a substantial drop in replacing Strider, arguably the most dominant starting pitcher in baseball.
Candidates include Bryce Elder, who made the 2023 All-Star team in his first full MLB season before fading badly in the second half, and left-hander Dylan Dodd, who allowed nine hits and two runs in 6 2/3 innings. of a Triple-A game Friday.
“You hate to lose him like that, but we’re going to keep going and fight hard,” Snitker said. “It’s happened to a lot of other people, we’re not the only ones who’ve been bitten this year. This is only part of the problem. You take care of it. That’s why you try to gain depth in your organization, because you know you’ll need it. No one is safe from it, everyone goes through it. Several teams faced the same thing.
#BravesBrian Snitker on many throwing injuries in baseball: “Well, they’re throwing harder than ever and spinning the ball more than ever. I don’t know. I hate it for everyone involved. That’s the most important thing we have in our game, man, is pitching. »
– David O’Brien (@DOBrienATL) April 6, 2024
Although many pitchers have returned to the field effectively after a second Tommy John surgery, there is not as much certainty of performing at the same level as there is for a pitcher returning from a first TJ surgery.
“The way I look at it, you pray for the best,” Braves third baseman Austin Riley said minutes before hearing the MRI news. “We don’t know anything yet, but in my opinion, he’s a guy who prepares as much as he does and is so diligent in everything he does… like I said, we just hope it doesn’t happen.” is nothing crazy. Because he prepares and cares as much as anyone on this team. I hope it’s good – better than worse.
Strider allowed seven hits, five runs and three walks with four strikeouts in four innings of a 10-inning Braves victory Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and later told the coach of the team that his elbow was sore.
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Even though Strider looked out of shape Friday and his fastball velocity was down 1.3 mph from his Opening Day start and from his average velocity in 2023, Snitker and his team, along with receiver Travis d’Arnaud, thought Strider was just having an “off” night. that even the best pitchers have at least a few times most seasons.
Snitker said the pitcher didn’t say anything about his elbow while throwing 88 pitches.
“No, not before,” Snitker said. “Because I know he told someone, ‘I didn’t come back because they took me out of the game.’ I think if we had told him to go back out there, he would have gone back and kept throwing.
The team was still working out the logistics of setting up this meeting with Meister in Texas, but it was evident from Snitker’s comments and tone that they were not expecting encouraging news from the specialist. . Their own medical staff has already seen the MRI, and at this point, “good news” seems unlikely.
“The good news is he’s going to fix whatever’s going on and come back,” Snitker said, “and continue to have a really good career.”
Strider, a fourth-round draft pick of the Braves in 2020, reached the majors after just 22 minor league games and led MLB in strikeouts and strikeout rate during his first two full seasons in 2022-23, going 31-10 with a 3.36 ERA. ERA in 63 games, including 52 starts during that span, with a stunning 483 strikeouts in 318 1/3 innings. He was 20-5 with a 3.86 ERA in 2023 and led the majors with an Atlanta-record 281 strikeouts in 186 2/3 innings.
Before Friday, Strider needed just nine strikeouts to become the fastest in MLB history to reach 500 K among primarily starting pitchers.
(Spencer Strider photo: David J. Griffin / Icon Sportswire via Associated Press)