ATLANTA — Just hours after riding the high of a thrilling walk-off win at Truist Park, the Atlanta Braves received devastating news Saturday about one of baseball's best pitchers.
An MRI revealed that Braves ace Spencer Strider suffered damage to his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), the Braves announced in a 4:20 p.m. update. Braves manager Brian Snitker said the MRI "wasn't good." Strider will be further evaluated by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas.
Snitker told reporters after Friday night's win that Strider, the team's ace, came into the dugout "complaining about his elbow" after he was lifted after completing just four innings in the team's home opener at Truist Park.
You can listen to Snitker's full press conference about Strider's injury below:
Strider didn't look sharp on Friday, as he got roughed around for seven hits and five earned runs while walking three and uncharacteristically striking out only four Dbacks hitters while his velocity was noticeably down.
He averaged 95.9 mph on his fastball on Friday, which is nearly a full tick lower than his first start (96.7) and down well below his 97.2 mph average fastball velocity from a season ago.
Despite a deep Braves rotation, potentially losing a guy like Strider for the season is detrimental to the rotation and to the team's World Series chances, as Strider was the odds-on favorite for National League Cy Young entering the season.
Strider's injury continues an MLB epidemic of elbow injuries. It was announced Saturday morning that Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery. Promising Marlins right-hander Eury Perez will miss the season to undergo elbow surgery, and Yankees ace Gerrit Cole will notably miss the first few months of the 2024 season for elbow discomfort. Dodgers' right-hander Tony Gonsolin is also out for the entire season due to a torn UCL.
