Injuries Shake Up Braves Ahead of Crucial Series Against Cardinals

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves faced a major setback on Monday when ace Spencer Strider strained his right hamstring while playing catch. The team placed Strider on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Friday, just days after his return from elbow surgery.

Strider, 26, recently made his season debut against Toronto, pitching five innings and allowing two runs in a 3-1 loss. He was slated to make his home season debut Tuesday against St. Louis when the injury occurred.

With Strider sidelined, the Braves will employ a bullpen strategy in their upcoming game against the Cardinals. Manager Brian Snitker said the decision on an opener would be made on the day of the game. Braves third baseman Austin Riley expressed concern for his teammate.

“I hate it for the guy with everything that he’s been through,” Riley said after Monday night’s 7-6 win over St. Louis. “An arm injury and being out that long, that’s hard on the mental side of it.”

Strider made only two starts in 2024 before undergoing UCL internal brace surgery. In 2023, he was an All-Star, finishing fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting with a 20-5 record, a 3.86 ERA, and leading the league with 281 strikeouts.

The Braves also recalled right-hander Jared Shuster from Triple-A Gwinnett. Shuster had previously pitched two scoreless innings against Tampa Bay. Additionally, the team is without right-hander Kyle Wright, who is recovering from arthroscopic surgery performed on April 8 and will be out for at least three months.