Braves Officially Place Star Pitcher Back on the IL
While the Atlanta Braves continue to roll along with the best record in MLB, another key injury has hit the team, with their star pitcher landing back on the IL on Saturday.
Spencer Strider was removed from Friday's game against the New York Mets in the bottom of the fourth inning with what the team called right arm soreness. The flamethrower struggled during his start with a noticeable dip in velocity. His fastball was barely touching 87-88 mph, and he had allowed seven earned runs through the first three innings of the game. Strider allowed three home runs, two of them to Bo Bichette, including a second-inning grand slam.
The #Braves today recalled RHP Anthony Molina to Atlanta and placed RHP Spencer Strider on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. Additionally, C Drake Baldwin begins a rehabilitation assignment tonight with Triple-A Gwinnett.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 13, 2026
The 27-year-old exploded onto the scene in 2022 when he finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting. He followed that up in 2023 with an MLB-leading 20 wins and 281 strikeouts in 186.2 innings of work. Strider finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting that year and earned a spot on the NL All-Star team.
But since then, it's been all downhill for Strider. In 2024, he pitched just nine innings before hitting the IL with a damaged UCL. Strider's UCL was not completely torn, so he underwent an internal brace procedure rather than the full Tommy John surgery. He returned in 2025, appearing in 23 games and posting a 4.45 ERA and 1.396 WHIP. Most notably, his K/9 metric fell from 13.5 in 2023 to just 9.4 in 2025. Strider's arm was clearly not as effective as it was before his injury.
Spencer Strider's fastball is suddenly down to 87-88 here in the fourth and the Jeremy Hefner and Walt Weiss are both out to check on the Braves' righty.
— Chad Bishop (@MrChadBishop) June 13, 2026
Strider now being taken out of the game.
Looking for a clean start in 2026, Strider hit the IL again in late March with an oblique strain that would keep him sidelined until the beginning of May. In eight starts this season, Strider has a 5.31 ERA and 1.359 WHIP, while issuing 20 walks to just 46 strikeouts. Perhaps most alarming is that Strider has already given up nine home runs in 39.0 innings: nearly half of the 20 home runs he allowed all of last year.
Strider's elbow injury is cause for concern, especially given the history of his arm. He joins fellow young starters, Spencer Schwellenbach and AJ Smith-Shawver, on the IL, each of whom are dealing with their own elbow injuries. Braves superstar outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. also hit the IL this week with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, his second of the season.
The Braves may need to get three starters at the deadline. I don't think they're willing to go with all of Didier Fuentes, J.R. Ritchie and Hurston Waldrep in the rotation, and they can't bank on Spencer Schwellenbach contributing much this season. It's getting bleak in a hurry.
— Jason Foster (@ByJasonFoster) June 13, 2026
For now, the Braves have recalled Anthony Molina from Triple-A Gwinnett, but should Strider's injury mean a long-term absence, Atlanta will have some decisions to make. JR Ritchie, who replaced Strider on Friday, and Didier Fuentes are capable replacements for the rotation. Given Atlanta's aspirations for late-October baseball, don't be surprised if the team makes a splash trade for a proven starter by the MLB trade deadline in August.
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This story was originally published June 13, 2026 at 10:43 AM.