Spencer Strider will miss the rest of the 2024 season after undergoing surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow with internal brace, the Atlanta Braves announced on Saturday morning.
Spencer exited his last start for the Braves after four innings on April 5 complaining of elbow discomfort. His velocity was down over the course of his 88-pitch outing (95.9 mph average, down from his 97.2 average in 2023.)
An MRI the next day revealed damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Dallas orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister evaluated Strider’s elbow further and concluded that surgery was the best course of action.
“It wasn’t good,” Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters about the MRI results on April 6.
As CBS Sports‘ Mike Axisa explained last year, going the internal brace route, rather than Tommy John surgery, comes with a shorter rehab.
A relatively new procedure — an internal brace — is an alternative to Tommy John surgery when the tear is located close to the bone. The internal brace procedure is much less invasive than Tommy John surgery and comes with a shorter rehab, though it still fairly lengthy.
The Braves are currently atop the NL East with an 8-4 record and now will have to do without their ace until next season. Strider posted a 20-5 record in 2023 with 281 strikeouts and finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting.
“[Strider] is so dedicated to his craft,” Snitker said. “He loves everything about this. He does everything right from being a great teammate to just all the dedication. I really hate this for him because he enjoys it so much.”
Strider becomes the latest MLB pitcher to suffer a arm injury this season. Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees, Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom of the Texas Rangers, Sonny Gray of the St. Louis Cardinals, Josiah Gray of the Washington Nationals, and Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros are among the starters who started the season or have found their way to the injured list.
Strider joins a list of pitchers that includes Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Guardians, Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez of the Miami Marlins, and Lucas Giolito of the Boston Red Sox, as those who will be out until next season.
