Braves righty Spencer Strider is going to start the season on the injured list due to an oblique strain, manager Walt Weiss announced to the team’s beat this morning (via Mark Bowman of MLB.com). The team hasn’t provided a formal timeline, but even Grade 1 oblique strains can sideline players for around a month.
Strider, 27, last pitched a full season in 2023. He made only two starts in 2024 before requiring UCL surgery that would sideline him into the 2025 campaign. The rehab from that surgery, combined with a hamstring strain, limited Strider to 23 starts last year. He pitched 125 1/3 innings but worked with diminished velocity and overall stuff, leading to a 4.45 ERA and rate stats that were markedly worse than their pre-injury levels.
The hope had been for a healthier Strider to bounce back closer to his brilliant 2022-23 form. Instead, he’ll be the latest addition to a list of key players who are unavailable to begin the year. It’s been a nightmare spring for Atlanta. The Braves have lost righties Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep for months following surgeries to remove loose bodies from their elbows. Left-hander Joey Wentz tore his ACL and is out for the season. Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim suffered a hand injury in a fall before even reporting to camp and will be out for more than a month to begin the year. Left fielder/designated hitter Jurickson Profar was suspended for the entire season following a second positive PED test.
Atlanta’s lack of pitching depth has been a story throughout camp. With Strider headed to the injured list, the Braves will open the season with Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez and Grant Holmes as their top three starters. Lopez pitched only once last year due to shoulder surgery. Holmes suffered a UCL tear last summer and rehabbed it without surgery.
Plans beyond that top trio are murky for the time being. Right-hander Bryce Elder and left-hander José Suarez are out of minor league options and will presumably both make the roster, though either could be bound for the bullpen. Bowman calls Suarez a “likely” starter to begin the season and adds that the club could consider selecting the contract of non-roster veteran Martín Pérez, who’d previously been informed he was not making the club. Right-hander Didier Fuentes is still ticketed for the bullpen, Weiss tells Bowman.
It’s a paper-thin rotation group at this point, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos make some form of addition to further stockpile some depth. There ought to be several veterans opting out of/being released from minor league deals in the final days of camp, and arms of varying quality will be designated for assignment due to the annual Opening Day roster crunch.
It’s almost like AA should’ve added more depth…
As a Blue Jays fan I assure you, he’ll eventually trade all your prospects for some guys near the end of their career. Give him time.
The cupboard is already bare.
Ironically, JR Ritchie should step in quite nicely.
I do not believe you follow the Braves prospects with this comment.
Braves83:
Ok, so the cupboard isn’t completely barren… but by all major outlets their farm ranks in the bottom 25-30 out of 30 teams entering the season. They’re top heavy with pitching (Ritchie, Caminiti, Waldrep), thin on position players and they lack depth in the type of top-end talent that other organizations possess. Maybe some of their recent draftees develop well, but they’re so far off it doesn’t matter in the context of where they rank today. If they graduate Caminiti this season, they could realistically drop to the worst overall farm in the league.
They won’t graduate Caminiti. And yes, they are top heavy with pitching, which is a good thing because that’s what they need right now. Ritchie and Didier are both viable options, albeit with a fair amount of risk.
He’s been here 9 years. How much longer?
He hasn’t really been doing that for about a decade now. Definitely was his old MO.
Let’s be real, he couldn’t have covered this even if he had added depth.
This coming from someone that is not an AA fan. You can’t build two full rotations, which at this point is pretty close to what some of you are saying about needing to add depth.
Should he have added one or two guys? Yeah but our position would still be pretty bleak even with those extra adds.
More importantly though, even if the team had stayed healthy, this isn’t a WS caliber team and needs to enter a rebuilding phase.
You keep blowing that same horn. Give it a rest.
It’s confusing to me that AA doesn’t take durability into consideration when building a pitching staff. I realize Cease was a bit expensive but Bassitt would have been an excellent signing in my opinion. Hoping and praying that Sale can keep his 37 year old body upright for six months.
This should be the top comment. You can’t sign a bunch of guys for below market rates because of their injury histories and then be surprised by their injuries. That’s literally the reason you were able to acquire them cheaply.
The Braves, and AA specifically, have tried to exploit this as a market inefficiency. Except it doesn’t work if you don’t build in depth as the necessary contingency (like the Dodgers do). Instead, AA and others throw their hands up and say “Who could have possibly seen this coming?”
Chris Bassitt is 37 years old.
You do realize that Bassitt is 37 yrs old, too. Not the healthiest of resumes, either.
Asking any team to do what the Dodgers do (when they don’t have Dodger dollars) is unrealistic.
Not sure what you’re talking about. Unlike Sale Bassitt has started at least 27 games every year since 2019…prorating COVID year in 2020. Far more durable than Sale..or anyone else not named Elder on the Braves staff.
I think the Braves are pretty good but it looks like the lack of SP depth already sank the team.
No more diddling with Didier.
Thing about Fuentes is the Braves will most assuredly have him on an innings limit this year. He only threw 70 innings total last year, 75 the year before. Maybe stretch him to 100 IP this year? If he’s the real deal now you don’t want to burn all those innings before August. Similar with Ritchie. Most likely burn up Elder, Perez, Suarez until we can get Schwellenbach and Waldrep hopefully back before we’re too far behind the Mutts and Phillies.
That’s a good point, and I agree with it, but burning up elder, Perez and Suarez sucks, and isn’t what a championship contender should be considering. This is just plain negligence, whether it is due to a flaw in their player evaluations, reading of the market, or just plain vibes, the outcome is the same. Bad.
We’re not getting Waldrep and Schwellenbach back this year. No, they haven’t announced that…..yet. That’s how elbow surgeries work. Tain’t happenin’.
But they may have to burn his innings now, in hopes that Schwelly or Waldrep come back later this summer.
Rodon had surgery to remove loose bodies after the season. And he’s ramping up now to return to the Yankees.
Dillon Dingler diddled Didier?
The article states it would not be surprising to see AA add depth to the rotation. Actually, it would.
Eternal 2025
Hopefully this is the reason for his loss of velocity?
Didi
Gregorius. Well that’s not what you meant but the Braves could always use a new middle infielder.
Forget infielder, Braves might need him to pitch…
Cant throw 100 and a 90 slider every other pitch.
2025 part 2: Electric Boogaloo
We still don’t need any pitching depth, we’re in a great spot smh….Out 6 weeks best case? This stinx.
Now who wants to throw away Elder???
He shouldn’t have been an option to begin with.
Elder will be the Braves #2 starting pitcher by June. You heard it here first.
@outfieldflyrule:
You’re too optimistic my friend, Elder will be #1 by June. Oof.
Me! Me! MEEEEEE!!!! Didier, JR pounding on door. No reason Didier should be a long RP for even the first 13 games with Strider down.
Where is Ian Anderson when you need him, and I’m not talking about Aqualung.
He filed for free agency back in November. As far as I know he hasn’t signed with anyone. He got lit up when the Braves traded him last year to the Angels.
He gives you innings. maybe not effective ones, but hey, take what you can get.
For the league minimum, I can give the braves innings. Mostly non effective ones.
Hey, at least you’ll give them some innings, unlike Snell.
That works for me. Keeps him fresh for the postseason and I get a ring.
Oops I’d be pitching for the braves. So no ring. But I would still get paid while routing for the Dodgers.
Don’t worry, I would do my very best while pitching for the braves.
Routing? Are you an air traffic controller?
Yes. Routing them to a three-peat.
I did pretty well in that capacity the last couple years. Third time is the charm.
Lucas Giol….nah why bother – won’t happen.
Believe it or not according to most of the projections on fangraphs Giolito and Elder are expected to be almost identical pitchers in 2026. That is either saying a lot for Elder, or not much for Giolito.
You get to decide, I’m just stating what their projected data across multiple models is saying.
And right now, I’ll take that if giolito can eat innings, but I don’t trust that he can. Before his injury, he was kinda a workhorse from what I recall. In fact, I recall listening to a podcast by Chris Rose and he interviewed him stating exactly this and why he was so valuable. Next week or so he got injured and it’s been downhill since
He’d need 6 weeks to ramp up at this point anyway. Not really an option anymore. Should have signed him at the end of January.
Fangraphs deals in projections/conjecture/guesses. I wouldn’t expect anyone other than fantasy leaguers to think it has any meaning. It’s all based on last year’s numbers, yet their guesses don’t line up with the results that happened when those numbers were produced.
They have meaning alright. The BatX are the most accurate. Not that you care.
Even if gialito was signed this week it will take a month to get him up to form
I was expecting to hear Lopez on the IL with his velocity being down. I guess that’s next week…
Yup. I’ll give him 2 starts then he’s done.
@getgone2
I’m a Braves fan but I think this season is already doomed to a last place finish. I think that 1 good season from Lopez is all we’re going to get. 1 start last season and probably gonna be more of the same this season.
Yikes! Thats a shame.
Just sign Giolito already with their pitching staff someone is always bound to be hurt.
Giolito was injured at the end of last season and didn’t appear in the playoffs… after of course missing all of 2024. Not sure adding that track record to the Braves injury mix really helps all that much given that his medicals are probably a big part of the reason why he doesn’t have a contract already.
Luchesi will be less expensive.
Nobody wants Giolito.
This is starting to look like the 2025 season on repeat…
Only if the Braves start 0 and 7
Nah, that can’t happen again… Can it?
Hopefully not against the Royals and A’s
Thank god they’re not facing the A’s in Sacramento. It might be scary if Elder had to pitch in their minor league park!
1st we all knew this was coming. They kept “hiding” strider on the backfields vs televised games. 2nd AA is crushing us by not going to get depth with a rotation that the entire world knew was a question mark just on their health alone. Sale, Strider, Holmes, Lopez, SS, were all GIANT questions marks and Waldrep should have been also with the most inning he ever threw last season. Throw in Wentz with the ACL and it’s a nightmare situation that a little depth could have gone a long way. 3rd Lopez’s velo was down 5-7 mph this weekend. Now they still made him throw 80 pitches but that’s a HUGE red flag. Hopefully they told him to dial it back 75% for that start just in hopes to prevent an injury, but expect him on the IL soon. If he goes down, now you can expect Elder to not only be our staple of health and #3, but possibly our # 2 if Holmes elbow (which was recommended to have TJ) goes out…. Nightmare situation AA. Do something
Perfect assessment of the state of their pitching staff.
I’m curious how this works. They lost 4 SPs. So does that mean they needed to have 4 extra SPs on the 26? So 9 SPs and 4 RPs? Or would the extra 4 SPs just be on the 40, but just minor league level talent?
No they phantom IL starters in a staggered fashion like the Dodgers do lol…Have 8 SPs that rotate on and off. Works for them pretty well.
The Dodgers’ phantom IL stints are not talked about enough. They had one player, Yamamoto, throw more than 100 innings last season.
Kind of what I was getting at. Works pretty, but only with a whole lot of money. The LAD payroll, including CBT is ~ $575,000,000. In order to make this work for most teams, you have to have SPs willing to sit around and not playing, so they can be called up as necessary.
And it is usually a substantial waste of money to pay 4 guys to do that.
Waiver wire
Clap clap clap clap clap.
They’re apparently legal.
Manfred hasn’t punished anyone for it.
Maybe it’s a valid strategy. Not even an LAD fan.
Develop more pitching.
As much as I like complaining about AA ignoring the rotation every off-season; if us keyboard warriors can assess the obvious then I’m sure AA knows the same and more….There has to be a reason he’s not allowed to sign FA starters we aren’t privy too. Only thing I can come up with is that they draft so much pitching he’s forced to pick from that pool. ‘Spend all this draft capital on pitchers you better use them’? Backed himself into a corner, who knows.
I don’t think that’s it. Typically GM’s (or whatever his title is these days) are given a budget and that’s their only real constraint… I truly believe he thought the health of this rotation would hold up and he had enough young pieces to be the depth. Plus, he was probably getting close to topping out his budget before the Profar news came out and now that he has that money free to use, it’s so late in the offseason there is no one else worth to get except gio, which if he isn’t signed by anyone right now, there is prob a good reason. I get the whole keyboard warrior, trust AA stuff.. but like you said, he has a history of not doing enough to the rotation going back as far as 2020 that I can remember… if he got just 1 decent pitcher that offseason we prob make the World Series. And they can’t be restricting him on spending on pitching in general because one knock on AA is he spend A LOT on his bullpens. Every freaking year. I don’t recall the exact # but he’s like top 3 in bullpen salary % to overall salary behind the likes of the dodgers and Mets. He just hates allocating funds to an inflated SP market I think.
Terry McGuirk has always hated spending on pitching
Yeah, and now it is too late to sign a free agent. Only option is hope for a roster crunch to bring in a fringe pitcher that has at least had a normal spring training. Any pitcher that they sign now would need to go through a 6 week ramp up, and by that time, Strider, Waldrep, and Schwellenbach will be close to returning. This could get ugly. Perez, Suarez, and Elder are not playoff caliber pitchers. I imagine they’ll make some sort of trade, but it won’t be for anyone glamorous.
Like I’ve been saying, the Padres rotation is in the same predicament, but everyone wants to bash AA. Michael King is more injury prone than Sale. Pivetta has been injured in spring training. And Musgrove is going to be late starting the year after his TJ surgery recovery. After that their rotation is as barren as Atlanta’s. But I don’t hear anyone crying about Preller not having enough starter depth.
But I don’t hear anyone crying about Preller not having enough starter depth.
=====================
That’s because Padre fans are smart enough to know that no rotation can withstand losing 4 SPs. About half the teams would have an issue losing one SP. My RS put a lot of time, effort and money into developing rotational depth, and they are all the way up to 7 SPs, including Oviedo and two promising prospects.
The idea that AA should’ve signed 4 more SPs in anticipation of 4 injuries is a fantasy. Injuries happen to everyone.
Anyone who says Giolito isn’t an upgrade now is just being stubborn, just sign the guy
It’s too late. Giolito is an upgrade over Martin Perez. But at this time it would be at least 2 or 3 weeks before he can start
Have you ever wondered why NO ONE has signed him?
JR Ritchie and Didier not working at long RP > Giolito
Stretch Iglesias out to be a starter. Go back to the playbook they used to transition Lopez from reliever to starter.
Seriously? I know you don’t have Didier or Ritchie in our fantasy league, but don’t be bitter about not being able to get McClain to suggest silliness. lol
@patriot
how much are you willing to pay Giolito to get him to sign?
That’s ok AA still like the Braves playoff rotation
Looks like this rotation is officially in the dumpster. Stinky. Headed by a 56 year old Chris Sale, and good lord if he goes down. This organization just can’t avoid embarassment and disappointment atp.
The definition of a poverty franchise. Once heralded for their pitching reduced to a bottom 5 rotation in baseball. Sad.
The Braves are nowhere near a poverty franchise. That’s the most ridiculous statement especially since they’ve only had one losing season since 2017
Not a poverty franchise by any means, but a franchise that has tied up money in risky ways. The budget is top five or so, but is it delivering top five performance?
I said last season this roster is starting to resemble the ones AA put together just before Toronto let him go — too much of the budget tied up in guys who might pan out if they all reach their ceilings. Not much room for additions if they play merely OK. (Not enough help in the upper minors, either.)
This rotation is dead. Braves fans must hope that this injury makes AA want to sign Giolito or someone.
Everyone still avoiding the rebuild????
Keep delaying it and let your denial compound this into a longer stretch than necessary
Because of course our opinions affect what Anthopoulos does.
Why rebuild? Atlanta has a lot of good players. It is unfortunate for them that they have several SPs on the IL, but that doesn’t mean you blow up the team.
They need to restock the farm. They have zero position player depth. Their pitchers are all hurt. And those early arb extensions have left aging stars without motivation. The culture is degrading each year… but at least they have a shiny new TV network to distract the mouth breathing contingent of their fans who don’t know any better.
Of course
I ,a supporter of undogs, declare the Braves my choice to win their division.
terry g: Despite your misspelling of underdogs, I’m with you on your prediction. That’s unless an “undogs” means dogs who are no longer dogs like due/undue or tie/untie.
Giolito would probably take several weeks to get game-ready, so he isn’t the solution.
Either way is going to take him several weeks to get game ready. Whether they sign him today, 6 weeks ago, or a month from now. We keep saying that over and over as an excuse to not sign him. At some point they’ll need another arm or two or three.
We have Maneae available for a prospect or two, they need to start calling other GMs who may have pitchers they can spare.
Richard:
1. The Mets have a ton of pitching depth and Manaea is going to be an important part of it after the disastrous injuries to their staff ruined last season.
2. The Mets aren’t trading in division to help the Braves.
3. Nobody is taking on Manaea’s remaining 2 yrs/$50M, especially the Braves.
They won’t be trading with the Mets to solve this, but I agree that is their best option at this point.
A little of topic but how many teams are in the same situation. And baseball wants expansion? Are there enough “quality” pitchers to staff the teams today?
It doesn’t help that MLB cut 59 minor league teams and shortened the draft.
Correction: 43 teams.
Filing them in the seller column before the season even begins.
Even rays & dodgers have never had such bad luck with SP… the f is happening in atlanta??
Performance enhancers causing accelerated breakdown of muscle, tendons and ligaments.
Put a fork in the Braves. Dreadful rotation. They’ll be lucky to finish 4th in their division.
Are the Braves snakebit or are they not handling young pitchers well? It seems like a lot of their young pitchers have great years and are soon suffering significant injuries.
Bryce Elder will once again be the Braves internal CY Young winner LOL
You’re severely undervaluing Carlos Carrasco’s value to this pitching staff. His “great clubhouse guy” metric will surely make him this year’s staff mvp.
I can’t even hit my own weight which is not much, and I couldn’t hit the broad side of the barn, but I could’ve been the highest paid person in major league baseball if I had only went to medical school and became The Braves team doctor. Business is always booming whether it be in season or in the off season.
Very unfortunate, as a Mets fan I would have liked to face them at their best. Nevertheless, injuries are part of the game and we do know about that as we started last year in the same boat as the Braves. This is the time to allow those young prospects to shine at the MLB level and just maybe they can overcome those injuries.
I remember seeing comparison to Lincecum during his 2nd place ROY season. It’s amazing Lincecum managed to last as long as he did given what we now know about pitchers like him. He stayed healthy but was now longer putting up good numbers before everything went south for him during final seasons of his MLB career.
Same ‘OL Braves
Consistent winning? Defeating the Mets in a season series? Huge Acuna bombs? Divsion titles and playoff appearances? Yep, same ‘OL Braves.
Lefty Joey Luchessi is available
It’s going to be a long summer in Atlanta and Chris Sale gets traded at deadline
I’ll take that bet, Pete.
If the Braves didn’t trade Sale last year they’re not going to do it this year especially after signing him to an extension. the Braves don’t want to decimate their rotation more than they need to.
When someone offers a huge overpay for Sale the Braves will listen
Put a fork in the Braves. Dreadful rotation. They’ll be lucky to finish 4th in their division.
Schwellenbach, Waldrep and Strider all out until June, IF LUCKY. The Braves are going to have to try to win a lot of ‘1982 Harvey Wallbanger’ games, assuming the offense bounces back. It isn’t too far fetched that if they lawn dart Sale and Olson get traded to go youth movement.
I have to wonder if a move to the pen might help Strider revive his career
Isn’t getting him on the field the first step, before trying to change his job?
does anyone think the pitch clock has an issue on all these injuries before the season the past few years?
Is Dallas Keuchel still available?
Fans: “Stupid teams need to realize they must build pitching depth!”
Dodgers: “Hey, guess what team actually works to build pitching depth?”
Fans: “You’re RUINING BASEBALL!!!!!!”
Assuming everyone is healthy (lol), which rotation would you rather have:
Chris Sale
Grant Holmes
Reynaldo Lopez
Bryce Elder
Jose Suarez
OR
Spencer Strider
Spencer Schwellenbach
AJ Smith-Shawver
Hurston Waldrop
Joey Wentz
With the exception of Elder there’s a helluva lot of injury history on the list.
Ouch! That hurts. It looks like another lost season for the Braves.
Mets, Phillies, and Marlins are licking their chops…
Cue the armchair GM’s that can do a better job.
Braves to replace QuiKrete sleeve patch with Grady Hospital MRI Patch!
Id go with Duck-tape as a sponsor
Patrick Corbin is waiting by the phone.