Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider will miss the rest of the season after having surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, the team said Saturday.
Dr Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, performed the procedure on Friday, using an internal brace to repair the UCL.
Strider complained about discomfort in his elbow after pitching four innings in Atlanta’s 6-5 win over Arizona on 5 April. An MRI the next day revealed damage to his UCL, and the Braves prepared for the worst.
“You never expect these things to be good or just a blip on the screen,” manager Brian Snitker said last week.
Strider was 20-5 in 2023, leading the majors in wins and strikeouts (281). The right-hander had a 3.86 ERA last season.
He had a 7.00 ERA with 12 strikeouts in two starts this year.
The 25-year-old Strider joins a list of big-named pitchers who have suffered significant injuries this season.
Cleveland’s Shane Bieber, the New York Yankees’ Jonathan Loáisiga, Miami’s Eury Pérez and Oakland’s Trevor Gott are among the pitchers diagnosed with elbow injuries.