<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-news-ronald-acuna-jr-spencer-strider-opening-day-shut-down');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves shut down Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider Opening Day return');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Braves-news-Ronald-Acuna-Jr.-Spencer-Strider-Opening-Day-return-shut-down.jpg"></figure><h1>Braves shut down Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider Opening Day return</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-05T15:58:23-08:00">November 5th, 3:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-05T15:58:23-08:00">November 5th, 3:58pm</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Braves had brutal injury luck during the 2024 season. They lost<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-spencer-strider-gets-real-on-his-season-ending-injury"> ace Spencer Strider to Tommy John</a>, outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr to an ACL injury, and Ozzie Albies played only 99 games. Atlanta still made the playoffs, putting massive expectations on 2025 assuming those players would come back. General manager Alex Anthopoulos told Matt Gelb of The Athletic, per David O’Brien that Acuña and Strider <a href="https://x.com/DOBrienATL/status/1853919395694756244" rel="noopener">would not be</a> ready for 2025.</p><p>“First time [Anthopoulos] said they won’t be ready, though indicated previously it could be a month or 2 into season before Acuna ready. They’ll evaluate as go along,” O’Brien added.</p><p>The more surprising news here is Strider, who pitched only two games before he was shut down. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-ronald-acuna-jr-reaction-unlucky-torn-acl">Acuña tore his ACL</a> in late May, which puts his return date around that same time. The Braves knew they would be without their outfielder for a portion of the season. Anthopoulos expanded on the Strider situation.</p><p>“Will not be ready Opening Day. We’re planning on not having them on the Opening Day roster, ” the Braves GM told O’Brien. “How soon after that, we’ll see how that goes. And as we get closer and get into spring training, we’ll probably be able to update that…But at this time, we do not expect them to be on the Opening Day roster. Dates beyond that, we’ll get a better handle when we get into spring training”</p><h2><b>Braves must get great seasons from their stars in 2025</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Ronald-Acuna-with-Atlanta-Braves.jpg?w=1024"><figcaption>Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Braves are filled with star players who have long-term commitments to the team. While it likely hurt to see former first baseman Freddie Freeman win the World Series, they have a great team of their own. The National League is full of stars and will be a tough league to win next season. Atlanta should be a part of the group of contending teams but need their stars to do so.</p><p>Acuña had one of the best seasons in modern baseball history in 2023 with 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases, the first season of that kind. Before his brutal knee injury, he was not the productive player Braves fans expect him to be. He posted a 0.0 WAR in 49 games with a 101 OPS+, a perfectly average player.</p><p>Max Fried is a free agent and had a solid season behind Chris Sale. If Strider is out for the beginning of the season, they may want to bring him back. Could the Strider injury impact the future of the Braves?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves shut down Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider Opening Day return

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-news-ronald-acuna-jr-spencer-strider-injury-updates-2025');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr., Spencer Strider get uncertain injury updates');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Ronald-Acuna-Jr.-Spencer-Strider-get-uncertain-injury-updates.jpg"></figure><h1>Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr., Spencer Strider get uncertain injury updates</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-04T09:51:25-07:00">October 4th, 9:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-05T16:00:30-07:00">October 5th, 4:00pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Braves’ 2024 season did not exactly go according to plan. Atlanta entered the season with legitimate World Series aspirations but ended up narrowly reaching the postseason <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-news-every-braves-mets-diamondbacks-playoff-scenario">as a National League Wild Card team</a>.</p><p>Reaching the postseason was an impressive feat considering all of the injuries Atlanta dealt with as Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider were among the Braves players who missed time in 2024. So will Acuna and Strider <a href="https://x.com/DOBrienATL/status/1842231727667794218" rel="noopener">be ready for the beginning of the 2025 season</a>?</p><p>“(Alex) Anthopoulos said it’s too early to know when Acuña and Strider will be back but said it could be as soon as Opening Day or as late as early June if for some reason either needed more time. Right now, there’ve been no setbacks or reason to think it’d be the longer end,” David O’Brien of The Athletic wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>The update, which was shared on Friday, suggests that neither player has a strict injury timeline yet. Still, the fact that there reportedly has not been any setbacks is encouraging.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/the-fatal-flaws-that-will-prevent-braves-from-winning-world-series">Braves fell short of their World Series goal</a> in 2024. However, Atlanta features more than enough talent to compete at a high level in 2025, but they will need to have a healthier overall campaign. Injuries proved to be too much for the ballclub this season. Again, the fact that they still reached the postseason is telling of the depth on the roster.</p><p>One has to imagine that Atlanta will rebound and make a World Series run if the Braves stars can stay healthy in 2025.</p><h2><b>Ronald Acuna Jr. is one of the best players in MLB when healthy</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Ronald-Acuna-Jr.jpg"><figcaption>Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Acuna won the National League MVP Award in 2023 following a historic season. In fact, Acuna has been incredible while on the field throughout his career for the most part. He has only played in 120 or more games twice since making his MLB debut in 2018, though.</p><p>Acuna was limited to 49 games played in 2024. He was not swinging the bat especially well in those 49 games, but Acuna likely would have found his rhythm at some point. Instead, the Braves star suffered a torn ACL and was ruled out for the rest of the season.</p><p>Atlanta is hoping he can return for the start of the 2025 campaign, but nothing is guaranteed.</p><h2><b>Braves starting rotation needs Spencer Strider </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Spencer-Strider-during-Braves-Phillies-game.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Strider underwent season-ending elbow surgery early in the year. He entered the ’24 campaign as a Cy Young candidate, but made just two starts before suffering an elbow injury.</p><p>Strider features some of the best stuff as a pitcher in all of baseball. He throws a hard fastball that is offset by breaking pitches with plenty of movement. As a result, Strider led the league in strikeouts in 2023 and finished fourth in the National League Cy Young voting.</p><p>Many people around the MLB world felt that Strider could take the next step toward winning the Cy Young in 2024. In all reality, Strider will likely compete for the award at some point down the road. The Braves need Strider to return and stay healthy, however.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr., Spencer Strider get uncertain injury updates

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-news-spencer-strider-gets-real-on-his-season-ending-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves’ Spencer Strider gets real on his season-ending injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Braves-news-Spencer-Strider-gets-real-on-his-season-ending-injury.jpg"></figure><h1>Braves’ Spencer Strider gets real on his season-ending injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-04-19T13:59:25-07:00">April 19th, 1:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-04-19T14:06:30-07:00">April 19th, 2:06pm</time><address><a>Nick Meyer</a>Nick Meyer is a sports writer for ClutchPoints based in the Metro Detroit area. He has covered everything from Major League Baseball to the NFL, UFC, and College Football.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Braves’ Spencer Strider will miss the rest of MLB’s regular season after suffering a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-atlantas-worst-fears-spencer-strider-season-ending-injury">season-ending UCL elbow injury</a>. Strider’s injury has the Braves <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-concern-spencer-strider-season-ending-elbow-injury">looking for contingency plans</a>, in hopes of filling the gap left by his departure.</p><p>Now, Strider is speaking out on his feelings after the unfortunate news revelations, in hopes of clearing the air. According to Strider, his injury is far more unusual than once thought. The update was revealed by reporter David O’Brien on Twitter on Friday, adding additional suspense and intrigue to a situation that is viewed as incredibly damaging to the Braves’ World Series hopes.</p><h2><b>Strider Reveals ‘Strange’ Injury That Sent Him to the IL </b></h2><p>Spencer Strider’s injury is not a UCL tear as originally thought but a bone fragment in the UCL, according to O’Brien’s Friday report. Strider said that the fragment originally developed during his 2019 Tommy John surgical procedure, and now the result is challenging the patience and faith of Braves fans across the country.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Spencer Strider discussed his injury and internal-brace surgery. He had a highly unusual injury, not a UCL tear but a bone fragment in the UCL, a fragment that developed at some point since his 2019 Tommy John surgery. Had some discomfort at spring training but nothing severe.</p><p>— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) <a href="https://twitter.com/DOBrienATL/status/1781410948374306841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 19, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Strider struggled during his first nine innings of the 2024 MLB season, compiling an earned-run average of 7.00 in nine innings of work. He showed flashes of his usual dominant self with 12 strikeouts, but he walked five batters and gave up 10 hits including two home runs <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/4307825/spencer-strider">on 178 pitches</a>.</p><h2><b>Braves Ready to Move On From Strider</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Strider-on-mound.jpg"><figcaption>Apr 5, 2024; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider (99) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>The Braves are doing their best to move on without Strider, but it won’t be easy. Manager Brian Snitker’s team needs big performances from fellow starting pitchers Chris Sale and Max Fried in Strider’s stead. Max Fried currently has a 1-0 record but his ERA is hovering near the eight mark as the Braves seek to course-correct.</p><p>Chris Sale has been his usual steady self with a 1-1 record and a 4.58 ERA, but must turn things up a notch or two for the Braves to stay at the top of the National League East.</p><p>Sale was scheduled to take the hill for a 7:20 p.m. ET start against the Texas Rangers at Truist Park on Friday in the ATL, a game that could be a World Series preview, if Atlanta figures out how to stay dominant with a motley crew of pitchers in line to replace Strider.</p><p>The Rangers are 11-9 on the season, first place in the American League West, which should make for an incredible series this weekend against Brian Snitker’s team.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves’ Spencer Strider gets real on his season-ending injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-concern-spencer-strider-season-ending-elbow-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'How concerned should Braves be after Spencer Strider’s season-ending elbow injury?');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/braves-news-spencer-strider-taking-blame-for-game-4-loss-to-phillies.jpg"></figure><h1>How concerned should Braves be after Spencer Strider’s season-ending elbow injury?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-04-13T20:00:37-07:00">April 13th, 8:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-04-13T20:02:14-07:00">April 13th, 8:02pm</time><address><a>Jackson Roberts</a>Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey, where he is a broadcast associate for the MLB Network and works at TwoTV Sports. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Well, it happened. Every fan in the state of Georgia’s worst fears have been confirmed. Saturday, the Atlanta Braves confirmed their ace pitcher Spencer Strider, coming off a season where he set a new franchise record with 276 strikeouts, had undergone <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-atlantas-worst-fears-spencer-strider-season-ending-injury">season-ending Tommy John surgery</a>. In their quest to right the wrongs of last season’s postseason disappointment, the Braves will be without their most powerful arm from here on out.</p><p>Obviously, it’s a brutal emotional blow for Strider and all of his teammates, since there were lofty expectations for Strider as an individual (the odds-on Cy Young favorite <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-cy-young-award-candidates-2024" rel="noopener">coming into the season</a>) and the Braves as a whole (second-best World Series odds in most places). But at the same time, it’s never a good idea to write off a team full of superstars just because one key cog in the machine goes out of commission.</p><p>So how concerned should the Braves really be about attempting to climb the mountain in the National League this season <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-potential-spencer-strider-surgery-elbow-injury-gets-critical-braves-update">without Strider to anchor</a> the pitching staff? Who will have to step up and what might the Braves’ front office need to do to help relieve some of the burden on the current roster? Let’s explore the depths of the situation in the ATL.</p><h2><b>Who’s picking up the slack for the Braves with Spencer Strider out?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Spencer-Strider.jpg"><figcaption>© Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>If it wasn’t already a huge year for Max Fried, it sure is now. Penciled in as one of the most prolific <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-atlanta-spencer-strider-max-fried-opening-day-starter-decision">number two starters</a> in the game, Fried has now been thrust back into the role of the stopper in the Atlanta rotation. And whatever he does will have an enormous impact not only on the Braves’ success as a team, but what kind of contract Fried is able to sign when he hits free agency this winter.</p><p>From 2019 to 2023, Fried pitched every bit like a true ace, racking up a 60-21 record, a 3.00 ERA and a 146 ERA+, punctuated by a second place finish in the 2022 Cy Young voting. But after his 2023 was cut short due to injury, Fried came into camp for the first time with some uncertainty about where his game was at. And through three starts this season, the results have been pretty ugly. Fried has allowed 11 earned runs in 11.1 innings with a brutal 1.85 WHIP.</p><p>Even if Fried predictably turns it around after a slow start, the Braves still need a lot more to break their way to match last season’s rotation output. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-chris-sale-perfect-reaction-first-start-home-crowd">Chris Sale pitching as well</a> as he has suddenly seems like much more of a necessity than an added bonus or a “let’s just hope he’s healthy come October.” Charlie Morton keeps putting off retirement to post near-All Star numbers, so the Braves are hoping his age-40 season is more of the same.</p><p>Beyond that it’s the Reynaldo Lopez, Darius Vines and Bryce Elder show, all names that could unexpectedly star for the Braves at a moment’s notice. But no matter who gets the ball at Truist Park, the pressure on everyone is dramatically heightened without Strider to dominate for six or seven innings every fifth game. The Braves can keep winning without their ace, but it sure won’t be easy.</p><h2><b>Do the Braves need to add another starter?</b></h2><p>The situation doesn’t yet feel dire enough to go out and make a trade. It’s a huge credit to general manager Alex Anthopoulos that Atlanta has managed to build a staff deep enough to fill in for Strider with MLB-caliber arms and still put out a batting lineup with All-MLB talent plastered all over it. But the day could still arrive when the Braves determine what they have in house is not enough to compete with the top dogs in the National League.</p><p>A lot hinges on Chris Sale. One might be inclined to think the Braves have “fixed” Sale based on the positive early results on the mound, but Sale’s problem the last three years was never his performance when he was able to take the mound. Various health ailments have limited Sale to just 33 starts since the start of 2020, a list of injuries that ranges from “typical pitcher arm problems” to “broke his wrist falling <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34373880/boston-red-sox-p-chris-sale-suffers-broke-wrist-bike-accident-remainder-season" rel="noopener">off his bike</a> when he was already rehabbing a broken finger.”</p><p>So if Sale stays healthy and the rest of the rotation pitches the way it’s capable of, it’s entirely possible Atlanta can navigate this season without dipping into the minor league talent pool to add another starter. They may get to the deadline and decide they want to add one anyway, because you can quite literally never have too much pitching in 2024 when any pitcher could get hurt with zero warning. And on the flipside, if more injuries come, Anthopoulos will have no choice but to go out and add a marquee starter before the deadline.</p><h2><b>Is a championship still in the cards for Braves?</b></h2><p>With all those moving pieces, does Atlanta still really have a shot to topple the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have the most absurd collection of superstars ever assembled, and the Philadelphia Phillies, who have crane-kicked the Braves right out of the playoffs two years running? Without question.</p><p>This is still one of the five <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-power-rankings-2024-yankees-pirates-biggest-jumps-week-1">most talented teams</a> in the league, with a lineup that can go toe-to-toe with the Dodgers, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, etc. and out-slug them all day, every day. Sure, there are more talented rotations out there, but this iteration of the Braves’ pitching staff can cohere into something at or approaching an elite level. Plus, it’s baseball and anything can happen. The Braves should know that better than anyone, since they won their lone championship this century with one of their least talented teams of the past decade.</p><p>But man, it really would be nice to still have Spencer Strider around. The game will miss him either way, but the Braves are hoping they won’t miss him the most when the games are sink or swim.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How concerned should Braves be after Spencer Strider’s season-ending elbow injury?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-news-atlantas-worst-fears-spencer-strider-season-ending-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves’ worst fears confirmed with Spencer Strider season-ending injury update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Atlantas-worst-fears-confirmed-with-Spencer-Strider-season-ending-injury-update.jpg"></figure><h1>Braves’ worst fears confirmed with Spencer Strider season-ending injury update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-04-13T06:54:14-07:00">April 13th, 6:54am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-04-13T07:33:27-07:00">April 13th, 7:33am</time><address><a>Gerard Angelo Samillano</a>Gerard Angelo Samillano is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, with his focus primarily on the NBA, NFL, MLB and Gaming. When he's not writing for CP, Gerard can often be seen playing VALORANT or playing pick-up basketball. He's also working on his BS Mathematics degree.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Other</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>This is heartbreaking. In his last start for the Atlanta Braves, Spencer Strider looked… off. After giving up multiple runs against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the ace <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-spencer-strider-injury-update-elbow-issue">exited the game pretty early</a>. Immediately after his exit, rumors emerged about a potential elbow injury. Now, the Braves’ worst fears have been confirmed. Spencer Strider will <a href="https://twitter.com/BNightengale/status/1779140571824820334" rel="noopener">miss the entire 2024 season</a> as he underwent season-ending elbow surgery, per Bob Nightengale.</p><p>“The latest: Atlanta ace Spencer Strider underwent season-ending elbow surgery and was fitted with a brace to repair the ulnar collateral ligament on Friday.”</p><p>Strider had a pretty uncharacteristic start for the Braves against the Diamondbacks. In the four innings he pitched, the ace gave up seven hits and five runs. It wasn’t just the stats that showed his struggles, too: his fastball clearly lost a lot of velocity. It was clear that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-potential-spencer-strider-surgery-elbow-injury-gets-critical-braves-update">something was wrong with the ace</a>, and his early exit proved exactly that.</p><p>The Braves will now have to find a way to make it through the rest of the season without their best pitcher. Their current rotation consists of Max Fried, new signees Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez, and Charlie Morton. It’s unclear yet what Atlanta’s plan will be to fill the massive hole left by Spencer Strider’s injury.</p><h2><b>Braves’ rotation in jeopardy</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Spencer-Strider-throwing-a-pitch.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>As mentioned, the Braves currently have four starters penciled in for the season. Sale and Lopez have been excellent so far this season. Morton is still a solid pitcher who can give you consistent output. Fried, on the other hand, has been misfiring as of late. A day after Strider’s injury, it was Fried’s turn to struggle on the mound.</p><p>It will certainly be interesting to see how the Braves handle who to replace Strider in the rotation. Perhaps the team will call up some of their top prospects. AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep are likely going to see time on the mound this season to assess whether they can make it big in the league. They could also go with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-atlanta-bryce-elder-decision-starting-rotation">more experienced Bryce Elder</a>, or even Dylan Dodd.</p><p>There’s also the possibility of the team going into the free agency bin to see what happens there. Given the amount of talent on the market, though, the Braves are likely going to be going into their in-house talent pool to fix this problem. Their track record suggests that the team will be doing a much better job in this way.</p><p>This is a brutal blow for the Braves, who were hoping to see another gear from Strider. After utilizing a two-pronged attack with his fastball-slider combination with a change-up at times, the Braves were hoping to see the ace use a brand-new curveball. This injury will take Strider out for the entirety of the 2024 season, and perhaps even a bit more.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
27	7.00	12	1.67	0

2024 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
27	7.00	12	1.67	0

Spencer Strider

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How concerned should Braves be after Spencer Strider’s season-ending elbow injury?

Braves’ worst fears confirmed with Spencer Strider season-ending injury update

Spencer
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