Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider was evaluated by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, on Monday, according to Braves manager Brian Snitker.
On Saturday, the Braves announced that Strider’s MRI revealed damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. The Braves don’t plan to have an update on Strider until this weekend.
Strider complained about elbow discomfort during Atlanta’s 6-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. He pitched four innings, allowing five runs on seven hits.
The Braves placed Strider on the 15-day injured list Sunday but were waiting for more testing with Meister before deciding if the team’s ace needs Tommy John surgery or not.
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“It wasn’t good, and you hate that — hate it for him,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of the initial MRI results. “I feel really bad for him, a kid that does everything right. Loves to compete, and just everything. So, just wait and see what they decide to do.”
While the Braves haven’t officially said that Strider has torn his UCL, when it comes to injuries like this, a sprain is considered a tear. The Braves on Sunday called Strider’s injury a “right elbow UCL sprain,” but they haven’t provided details on the extent of the damage – or whether there was a significant tear in the ligament.
Strider had Tommy John surgery in 2019 while he was a sophomore at Clemson. If this is the route they choose for him, he won’t be back until the middle of next season.
“You hate to lose him like that, but we’re going to keep going and fighting hard,” Snitker said. “It’s happened to a lot of other people. We’re not the only ones that have been bit by it this year. That’s just part of it. You deal with it. That’s why you try to acquire depth in your organization because you know you’re going to need it. Nobody’s insulated from it, everybody goes through it. Multiple teams out there have dealt with this same thing.”
Multiple teammates of Strider called his injury “devastating.”
Austin Riley didn’t want to jump to conclusions before the first MRI results were in and once he heard the news, he told reporters that he felt bad for Strider.
“You don’t want to hear something like that, from a guy that works so hard and is so honed in on his craft,” said Riley. “He cares so much. You just feel for him. He’s one of those guys that it’s unfortunate, you hate that it happens, but somebody that’s going to put in the time and the effort to get back to where he was. Just like I said, I feel for him more than anything.”
Catcher Travis d’Arnaud also said, “That stinks. It stinks for us, but really stinks for him. It sucks, man. It sucks.”
D’Arnaud also said he thought Strider was having an off-night, but he didn’t tell his catcher or coaches about the pain until after the game.
Strider was considered by many to be an early favorite for the National League Cy Young after he led the majors with 20 wins and 281 strikeouts last season. Pitching again this season seems unlikely at this point, but Snitker sees a silver lining in the situation.
“The good news is, he’s going to get whatever it is fixed and come back,” Snitker said, “and continue to have a really good career.”
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.