On Sunday, the Atlanta Braves placed Spencer Strider on the 15-day injured list, following the announcement that the standout right-handed pitcher has suffered a sprain in his pitching elbow’s ulnar collateral ligament. In response, the Braves called up right-hander Allan Winans from Triple-A Gwinnett.
Winans, aged 28, could potentially serve as a long-relief option in the upcoming games or even step into Strider’s role in the rotation for Wednesday’s matchup against the New York Mets. Last season with Atlanta, he recorded a 1-2 record with a 5.29 ERA, issuing eight walks and tallying 34 strikeouts across 32 1/3 innings pitched in six games, all of which were starts.
Strider, aged 25, exited his Friday start against the Arizona Diamondbacks after four innings due to discomfort in his elbow.
Strider is scheduled to undergo evaluation by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, on a date that has yet to be determined, as announced by the team on Saturday.
Last season, Strider, who finished fourth in the National League Cy Young Award voting, led the majors in wins with 20 and strikeouts with 281 across 186 2/3 innings pitched.
However, in his first two starts of this season, he has only pitched a total of nine innings, and there has been a noticeable decrease in his velocity by a few miles per hour. On Friday, in the Braves’ 6-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in 10 innings, he recorded four strikeouts and three walks.
Across his two starts, Strider has accumulated an ERA of 7.00, which is more than double his career average of 3.47.
Strider previously underwent Tommy John elbow surgery in 2019 during his time at Clemson University, and a potential second procedure of this nature would likely sideline him for at least a year.