1:11pm: Ritchie will indeed take Strider’s spot in the rotation, Weiss announced (via Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

9:05am: The Braves announced that right-hander Spencer Strider has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his throwing elbow.  Right-hander Anthony Molina was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding 26-man roster move.

The placement comes a day after Strider was removed during the fourth inning of Friday’s 7-5 loss to the Mets.  Strider was charged with seven runs over his three innings (plus one batter) of work, and he was visited on the mound by a team trainer after walking MJ Melendez to begin the fourth inning.

During the game, the Braves said Strider’s departure was due to soreness in both his right elbow and shoulder.  Manager Walt Weiss told MLB.com’s Matthew Ritchie and other reporters post-game that Strider would undergo an MRI, and the fact that Strider has been immediately placed on the IL likely isn’t a good sign.

After an All-Star season in 2023, Strider’s emergence as a homegrown ace of the Braves rotation has been dimmed by multiple injuries.  An internal brace surgery sidelined him for almost all of the 2024 season and the first few weeks of the 2025 campaign, and then Strider quickly picked up a hamstring strain that led to another month on the shelf.  This season, Strider strained his oblique during Spring Training and didn’t make his 2026 debut until May 3.

Strider has a 5.31 ERA over eight starts and 39 innings in 2026.  While his 4.09 SIERA is considerably better than his ERA and Friday’s outing can probably be chalked up to injury, Strider hasn’t really looked like his old self.  Strider’s strikeout rate is an impressive 27.9% but he is walking a lot of batters (12.1BB%) and has allowed nine home runs over his small sample size of work.  The elite fastball velocity that Strider showed pre-UCL surgery hasn’t returned, as his four-seamer is averaging a modest 95.1mph this year.

Strider’s inconsistency has been one of the few down notes during an otherwise superb year for the Braves, who lead the majors with a 45-24 record.  Some early-season injuries thinned Atlanta’s rotation depth and that may be a question again now that Strider is again on the IL, yet the Braves are now in better position to fill a hole in the starting five.  JR Ritchie threw five shutout innings in relief of Strider last night and might simply be bumped up to rotation duty, or Reynaldo Lopez could again be stretched out to be a starting pitcher.

Hurston Waldrep was also activated from the 60-day IL yesterday and optioned to Triple-A, as Waldrep continues to build up arm strength after undergoing a February surgery to remove loose bodies from his throwing elbow.  Spencer Schwellenbach underwent a similar surgery at the same time but isn’t expected back until after the All-Star break.  AJ Smith-Shawver should be back around the same time assuming no setbacks in the righty’s recovery from a June 2025 Tommy John surgery.