As has been the case dating back to the start of last season, even when the Braves win, there is something to complain about. In this instance, it’s yet another injury to Spencer Strider, who suffered a hamstring injury while playing catch prior to yesterday’s game.

The good news is it’s not arm related, but hamstrings are nothing to joke about. They can linger for a while if not healed properly. Thankfully, an MRI revealed Strider’s injury to be Grade 1 strain, which is a best case scenario.

Strider has a Grade 1 hamstring strain. This is the mildest of strains, but it will still take some time to heal. A timetable for return will be determined over the next couple weeks.

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 22, 2025

As Bowman notes, Spencer Strider is still going to miss quite a bit of time. He’ll be shutdown for the next couple of weeks and then a timetable for his return will be determined. Given his importance to the organization and recent injury history, it’s reasonable to expect Strider will miss at least a month of the season.

That puts the Braves rotation in a bind. Spencer Schwellenbach has been excellent this season, as has Grant Holmes in his transition back to being a full-time starting pitcher. But Chris Sale is off to a concerning start, while AJ Smith-Shawver and Bryce Elder haven’t inspired any confidence in their respective outings.

Hopefully, the Braves bats can stay hot. Because if not, it’s going to be a long month without Spencer Strider.

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Photo: Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire