Injuries were the story of the Braves 2024 season. I’m not sure there is a way to quantify it, but this has to have been the most injury plagued team in MLB history. Nearly the entire lineup spent significant portions of the season on the IL, including the reigning NL MVP and the Braves Opening Day starter, who also happened to be the NL Cy Young favorite coming into the season.
Ronald Acuña Jr. suffered a torn ACL at the end of May, and Spencer Strider didn’t even make it through two starts before being shutdown for the season after an MRI revealed a torn UCL. Both are already well underway in their respective recovery processes. However, Alex Anthopoulos recently said it’s too early to tell when they might be ready to return next year.
#Braves' 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 (@DOBrienATL) October 4, 2024
It’s fair to wonder whether either will be ready for Opening Day.
For Ronald Acuña Jr, it’s the second time he’s torn his ACL. The first time, he returned about a month into the next season. However, he had torn his ACL in July, which would mean he could potentially be ready for Opening Day in 2025 if the recovery period is the same. With that being said, Acuña has already made it clear that he’s not going to rush back, which he felt like he did last time. The Braves also shouldn’t have any interest in pushing the envelope, given his injury history.
Spencer Strider being ready for Opening Day also feels unlikely. A torn UCL typically takes around 18 months to recover from, but that’s if the pitcher undergoes Tommy John surgery, which may become a thing of the past. Strider opted to go the internal brace route, which just recently became an option and has a recovery time of about 8-12 months. So, it is possible Strider is ready for Opening Day, but again, the Braves should have no interest in rushing things.
It’s imperative these two are healthy at the end of next season. What happens in April and May isn’t going to matter very much. The Braves have already shown they can overcome a slew of injuries and still make the playoffs.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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