It was a jam-packed day full of news for the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, beginning with a bit of a scare as the club awaited the diagnosis on Ronald Acuña Jr.’s hamstring.
The 2023 NL MVP was eventually placed on the 10-day IL with a strain, and Walt Weiss later confirmed the best possible outcome: a Grade 1 hamstring strain that should sideline Atlanta’s star right fielder for roughly a month at most. Given his injury history and overall value, the Braves will be extremely cautious with his return.
Then there was the season debut of Spencer Strider, which, admittedly, was far from perfect. His command was shaky from the outset, issuing five walks and allowing three earned runs over just 3.1 innings. On the positive side, he still recorded six strikeouts and appears to have taken a step forward with his curveball, giving him more of a true three- or four-pitch mix — something that becomes critical if his fastball doesn’t fully return to pre-InternalBrace surgery form from 2023.
Strider’s velocity sat in the 96–97 mph range early but settled closer to 95 after the first inning. It didn’t have quite the same life it showed during his rehab assignment, though some of that can be attributed to Coors Field, where altitude impacts spin rates. It’s not an ideal environment for any pitcher making his first appearance in seven months, so drawing firm conclusions right now would be premature. The important takeaway is that Strider came out healthy and feeling good. We’ll have a clearer picture after his next start later this week.
Despite the uneven outing, the Braves still completed the sweep of the Rockies thanks to an offense that simply won’t slow down. Six different players recorded multi-hit games, with backup catcher Jonah Heim leading the way with five RBIs.
After the game, Weiss provided more injury updates — this time of the positive variety. Both Raisel Iglesias and Sean Murphy are expected to rejoin the team during the upcoming series against the Seattle Mariners.
Iglesias is recovering from a minor shoulder issue, one that likely wouldn’t have warranted an IL stint later in the season. He should step right back into the closer role, looking to build on his flawless start. He has still yet to allow a run and is a perfect 5-for-5 in save opportunities.
As for Murphy, it will be his first major-league action since September. The Braves haven’t missed much offensively thanks to the emergence of Drake Baldwin, but Murphy’s defense will be a welcome boost. If he can find any rhythm at the plate, Atlanta could be adding another All-Star caliber piece to what has been the best team in baseball through the first five weeks of the season.
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(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire)
