Mere days since making his return to the majors after undergoing elbow surgery roughly a year ago, Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider is back on the injured list – this time because of a strained right hamstring. The move is retroactive to April 18, and the Braves have recalled right-hander Michael Petersen to take Strider’s spot on the active roster and the pitching staff. The club disclosed that Strider suffered the injury while playing catch on Monday.
The Atlanta rotation is also without Reynaldo López, who’s recovering from arthroscopic shoulder surgery performed in early April.
Strider, 26, looked solid in his lone start of 2025 to date, as he permitted two runs on five hits in five innings of work against the Blue Jays on April 16. In that start, he recorded five strikeouts against one walk.
Strider’s potent right elbow gave out just two starts into his 2024 campaign, and he soon underwent an internal-brace procedure to repair his UCL. That typically has a shorter recovery timeline than Tommy John surgery, but the Braves handled Strider’s return conservatively given that he also underwent Tommy John in college. Across the combined 2022-23 seasons, Strider pitched to a 2.43 FIP over 318 ⅓ innings and struck out 37.4% of opposing batters. When healthy and in top form, Strider is a leading Cy Young candidate in the National League. That means this loss is a notable one for a Braves team that enters Monday night’s series opener against the Cardinals (ATL -220, STL +180, over/under 8.5, per Caesars) with a disappointing 8-13 record on the season.
