The Atlanta Braves have shut down right-hander Spencer Strider for four weeks because of inflammation in his right elbow, ESPN reported Monday, citing the team's announcement.
Strider visited specialist Dr. Keith Meister on Monday after having an MRI and being placed on the injured list Saturday. ESPN reported he will have a follow-up MRI after four weeks of rest and can begin throwing again if that scan is clear.
Strider Shutdown Follows Velocity Drop
The update comes after Strider was pulled from Friday's game when his velocity dipped to 88 mph during a six-pitch walk to MJ Melendez to open the fourth inning. ESPN reported he had been clocked as high as 96 mph earlier in the outing.
That game had already become difficult before the injury concern took over. Strider allowed six hits, a season-worst seven earned runs and three home runs in three innings, including a grand slam to Bo Bichette in the second.
The Braves do not yet have the next baseball step beyond rest and another scan. The useful line in the report is narrow: four weeks shut down, follow-up MRI, then throwing only if the scan is clear.
Elbow History Adds Weight To Update
Strider's history makes the injury news more significant than a routine skipped start. ESPN noted that he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019 and had the UCL in his right elbow repaired with an internal brace in April 2024.
He was making his eighth start of the season for the first-place Braves after missing the first 34 games while recovering from a strained left oblique. ESPN listed him at 4-2 with a 5.31 ERA this season.
For Atlanta, the shutdown removes a frontline arm at a time when the club is trying to protect both its rotation and its place in the standings. For Strider, the next checkpoint is simpler and more clinical: rest, another MRI and no throwing until the elbow clears that test.