At first, it looked like the Atlanta Braves found a gem in southpaw pitcher Spencer Strider. The former Clemson Tiger went 11-5 with a 2.67 ERA over 31 outings (20 starts) as a rookie in 2022 before earning an All-Star nod in 2023. He went 20-5 with a 3.86 ERA over 32 starts in the latter year.
However, Strider made just two starts before getting surgery to repair his UCL in 2024. The 27-year-old then went 7-14 with a 4.45 ERA over 23 starts in 2025.
Strider is now back on the injured list (IL) with an oblique strain, per MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
"Spencer Strider was placed on the IL retroactive to Sunday. Reports continue to be promising regarding his oblique," he reported on Wednesday. "He would be eligible to return from the IL on April 6. That may be a little early. But there's a chance he misses just a turn or two."
Strider went 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA over three games (two starts) in spring training, but he hasn't pitched since March 11. The veteran's absence is temporarily causing the Braves to make a change in their rotation.
Ace Chris Sale will start Opening Day against the Kansas City Royals on Friday, and the rest of the rotation for now will likely be right-hander Reynaldo Lopez, right-hander Grant Holmes, right-hander Bryce Elder, and left-hander Jose Suarez, per Bowman.
All of those pitchers are regular starters for Atlanta except for Suarez, who started just one of seven games in his first season with the club last year.
Braves Need 2022/2023 Spencer Strider Back
Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
Even if Atlanta's lineup hits well all season, it will be hard to contend in the NL if Sale and Strider don't stay healthy. They could be the best one-two starting rotation punch in baseball if they avoid the injury bug for most of the year.
Sale has been elite whenever he's played for the Braves, as he won the NL Cy Young Award in 2024, which was his first season with them. The southpaw went 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA over 29 starts before missing time with a rib fracture in 2025. He finished last season 7-5 with a 2.58 ERA over 21 games (20 starts).
If Sale and Strider both finish under the 3.00 ERA mark this year, it'll be hard for Atlanta to miss the playoffs again. Most teams don't have one starting pitcher under a 3.00 ERA for the whole season, let alone two.
Friday's game against the Royals will be at 7:15 p.m ET in Atlanta's Truist Park.
