The Braves just swept their most pivotal series of the season against the Mets, and they did it without two critical pieces — Spencer Strider and Ozzie Albies. However, it’s not unfathomable that both of them will re-join the team at some point during the postseason.
When I last talked to Michelle G. Carlson, MD, a hand and upper extremity surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), and asked her how long it typically takes for someone to recover from a broken pinky and whether we could see Albies at some point in October. This is what she had to say:
“It depends on the type of break,” Michelle G. Carlson, MD said. “Three to four weeks would be the fastest. Most common is six weeks.”
The four-week mark is coming up this weekend; however, it doesn’t look like Albies is quite ready to resume baseball activities.
The good news is the Braves are just one game away from clinching the NL East, which would give them a first-round bye and some extra rest. In that case, I wouldn’t be shocked if Albies was back at some point during the NLDS or NLCS.
Strider’s injury, on the other hand, is much more complicated. Oblique injuries can be very difficult to come back from, and while the Braves initially thought he might be able to avoid an IL stint, it didn’t take long for them to eventually shut him down for the remainder of the regular season. My hope was that it was more precautionary than anything, and that Strider would be cleared to go at the beginning of the playoffs, but the latest update suggests he might not be ready when the postseason begins. As of this weekend, he has yet to resume throwing.
I’m going to attempt to remain as positive as possible, but I am getting a little worried about when Strider will make his return to the mound. There are plenty of pitchers that have had to miss months with oblique injuries, and Strider has only been out for a couple of weeks. I don’t think there’s any chance he would be ready for a potential Wild Card Series this weekend, but hopefully, that’s not something the Braves have to worry about. Still, I’m not quite sure he will be ready for the NLDS either, which would be a massive blow to this team’s chances of repeating.
More must-reads: