Braves add SP Spencer Strider to 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation

The Atlanta Braves added starting pitcher Spencer Strider to the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation on Saturday, the team announced.

In a corresponding move, RHP Anthony Molina was called up to the big league club. The post from the team also included that star catcher Drake Baldwin was going to begin a rehab assignment Saturday with the franchise’s Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett.

Any time a pitcher is diagnosed with an issue with their elbow, it is cause for concern. This is especially true for Strider. He missed his entire 2019 season at Clemson after a torn UCL that required Tommy John surgery.

Strider had another elbow surgery in 2024 that caused him to miss the majority of the season, but it wasn’t a second Tommy John surgery. Instead, he had an internal brace procedure.

The Atlanta starter has played in eight games this season and amassed a 4-2 record. He has a 5.31 ERA and has struck out 46 batters in 39 innings of work. Strider suffered the injury on Friday night in his start against the New York Mets, and he was pulled after three innings.

Strider looked like he was going to be a future ace with Atlanta after posting an 11-5 record with a 2.67 ERA in 2022 and then a 20-5 record with a 3.86 ERA in 2023.

After his injury in 2024, he has looked like a different pitcher. Last year, Strider went 7-14 with a 4.45 ERA and was off to a subpar start this season before the injury.

The Braves have dealt with pitching injuries all season, with Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep suffering pre-season injuries that have sidelined them through mid-June.

Atlanta has lost three games in a row as of Friday night’s 7-5 loss to the Mets. The Braves are 45-24 and still in first place in the NL East, with an eight-game lead on the Philadelphia Phillies.