The Braves revealed the plan for Spencer Strider moving forward. He’ll be shut down for the next four weeks, then take another MRI. If everything checks out, he’ll resume throwing.
Following a consultation with Dr. Keith Meister today, RHP Spencer Strider will be shut down from throwing for four weeks and then undergo a follow-up MRI. Provided that scan is clear, he will then begin a throwing progression.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 15, 2026
It’s a best case scenario for Strider. Another serious elbow injury might have ended his career, given it would be his third over eight years and second in the last three seasons.
However, this report all but ends his chances of starting another game for the Braves this season. In a perfect world, he resumes throwing in mid-July and begins a rehab assignment sometime in August — but getting him stretched out and ready for October is a near impossibility.
That doesn’t mean Strider can’t contribute in some form, though. Many have speculated it might be best for him to move to the bullpen given all the injuries, and while that may not be a long-term solution, it’s the only realistic path back to the mound for him this season.
How that impacts the rotation is up for interpretation. On one hand, Strider hasn’t been good since returning from InternalBrace surgery, posting a 4.66 ERA over 31 starts — production that can be replaced, especially given the Braves’ pitching depth. On the flip side, he at least offered the kind of upside that, if everything clicked, he could be the number two behind Chris Sale that the Braves have been desperately searching for.
That’s what the Braves have to figure out between now and October. Who can they trust to start a playoff game outside of Chris Sale?
Some internal options exist. Hurston Waldrep, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Spencer Schwellenbach are all working their way back from injury, while Didier Fuentes and JR Ritchie are two intriguing young arms.
But when has banking on guys returning from injuries and rookies to be frontline starters ever been the way to operate? The Braves need another frontline starter — it’s never been more clear — and Ken Rosenthal expects them to be on everyone leading up to the deadline, including Tarik Skubal.
“This is a team that could potentially go really far this postseason if they make it, which they should,” Rosenthal said. “They still have of course Chris Sale and Bryce Elder, and they have some really good things going for them. But yes, I would like to see them get a starter at the deadline.
“They are a team that I’m sure will check in on Skubal. It’s not their kind of play. The farm system is not all that great. I don’t know that they can get Skubal, or have enough to get Skubal if they are indeed going down that route for a rental. But the Braves certainly with the state of their rotation right now — Holmes has been okay, Perez has been a revelation — need more and we’ll see if they go get it.”
I want to nip something in the bud right now. Rosenthal is the best at what he does, but he doesn’t know a single thing about the Braves farm system. It’s a system that has struggled in recent years but has taken a sharp turn for the better — this could be a top 10 farm system in baseball sooner rather than later. They absolutely have more than enough to get Tarik Skubal if that’s what they desire.
Will that be on the radar over the next couple of months? It’s not the Braves’ MO, but neither is going after starting pitchers at the trade deadline in general. The last significant addition they made to their rotation this time of year was Kevin Gausman nearly a decade ago, and that was well before his prime.
The rental aspect of Skubal is likely to turn Anthopoulos off — he knows the Braves have very little chance of re-signing him in free agency. But the Braves don’t need to be penny pinching anymore. Chris Sale isn’t going to be around forever. They need to find a frontline starter for now and the future. It’s well past time for Alex Anthopoulos to take a real gamble.
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(Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire)