We knew that situation with Spencer Strider was going to be bad news, but that didn’t make it sting any less. The Atlanta Braves announced that Strider underwent surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow Friday and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season. If there was any good news, it was that Strider had the internal brace procedure and not full Tommy John. While there is still no guarantees with the relatively new procedure, the recovery time is normally much lower. The Braves obviously aren’t going to get into any discussion as far as a timetable for Strider’s return, but he isn’t likely to need the 12-14 months that a full blown Tommy John repair typically takes.
There is no replacing Strider for the Braves, but they will have to try and piece together the back end of their rotation. Max Fried looked more like himself in Friday’s win against the Marlins. Atlanta has to be pleased with the way Chris Sale and Reynaldo López have the started the season. The final spot in the rotation may be a revolving door for a while as the club runs through their Triple A options. Allan Winans got the first start in place of Strider and Darius Vines could get a look as soon as Tuesday in Houston. Bryce Elder, who logged 170 innings for the club last year, is also likely to get a lengthy look at some point.
More Braves News
One day after scoring eight runs against the Marlins, Atlanta’s offense went dark Saturday in a 5-1 loss in Miami.
The Braves signed veteran first baseman Yuli Gurriel to a minor league deal. He will head to Gwinnett where he will serve as emergency depth should an injury occur.
MLB news
The hits keep coming for the Minnesota Twins. The club placed shortstop Carlos Correa on the 10-day injured list Saturday with an oblique strain. Minnesota also designated former Braves reliever Michael Tonkin for assignment.
The Diamondbacks are pausing Eduardo Rodriguez’s throwing program after he reported continued tightness in his lat. Rodriguez signed a free agent deal with Arizona during the offseason and suffered the lat injury during a start in Spring Training. The original expectation was that he would miss about a month of action but this latest setback will push back his timeline.
The Colorado Rockies are hoping that the latest injury to outfielder Kris Bryant is minor. Bryant left Saturday’s game in the fourth inning with soreness in his rib and back.
Oakland right-hander Paul Blackburn tossed 6 1⁄3 scoreless innings Friday night and has yet to allow a run in 19 1⁄3 innings this season. That is the longest season-opening scoreless streak by a starting pitcher in Oakland history.
Infielder Tony Kemp cleared outright waivers and elected free agency. Kemp was designated for assignment earlier this week by the Orioles to make room for top prospect Jackson Holliday.
The Yankees placed utilityman Jon Berti on the 10-day injured list with a groin strain. New York recalled infielder Kevin Smith to take Berti’s spot on the roster.
