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Braves receive concerning injury update on ace starter
The 2024 Major League Baseball season is not even two weeks old and it has already been a brutal start for some of the league's top pitchers. That trend continued on Saturday when the Atlanta Braves announced that their ace, Spencer Strider, has damage to the UCL in his right elbow and that he will be undergoing further evaluation.
Spencer Strider today underwent an MRI that revealed damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He will be further evaluated by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, TX, at a date yet to be determined.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 6, 2024
Strider was lifted against the Arizona Diamondbacks with discomfort in his elbow after pitching just four innings on Friday night.
The Braves then sent him for an MRI that showed the damage. The worst case scenario, here, would be season-ending surgery.
This is extremely concerning news for the Braves, as Strider is not only the club's best pitcher but one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. When he is on top of his game there are few starters in the league that are more dominant. Strider finished fourth in the National League Cy Young voting a year ago, posting a 20-5 record with a 3.86 ERA and 281 strikeouts. He led the league in wins, strikeouts and strikeouts per nine innings (13.5).
If Strider has to undergo surgery or misses extended time, it will add his name to a shockingly long list of injured starting pitchers.
Eury Perez, Sandy Alcantara, Shane McClanahan, Shane Bieber, Jacob deGrom, Gerrit Cole and Lucas Giolito are just some of the more prominent names currently sidelined due to health concerns. There are four Cy Young winners among that group.
The big concern now for the Braves comes down to whether or not they have enough starting pitching depth to deal with the absence of Strider. Max Fried, Charlie Morton and Chris Sale still form the foundation of a strong staff, but Strider is the pitcher who really brings it all together.
More must-reads:
- Watch: Braves walk-off Diamondbacks in wild ending
- Guardians ace's devastating injury continues troubling MLB trend
- The '2022 MLB strikeout leaders' quiz
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Braves Catcher Named Team's Top Potential Trade Candidate
The Atlanta Braves had an unsurprising trade candidate listed among a list of one for each team. MLB.com's Mark Feinsand listed Sean Murphy as the team's potential piece to be moved. While it doesn't use the phrase "most likely," there is an implication of it here, and it isn't off base. Murphy is certainly the most likely player to get traded, and for a well-known reason. The argument made is that the lack of quality catching options this offseason, and Drake Baldwin's existence, put the Braves in a good position to deal Murphy. Injuries won't, in theory, hinder his value at this point. "Given the dearth of catching options on the free-agent market, the Braves – who also have reigning NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin – could receive interest in Murphy, who is under club control for three more years at $45 million. Murphy has been dealing with a hip injury for the past two years that has impacted his performance at the plate, but he remains a top defender behind the plate." There were no potential trade partners listed. It was simply an argument for why he is a candidate. Fortunately for Murphy, that hip has been addressed. He had surgery toward the end of the 2025 season, and he's currently recovering from it. His recovery is expected to play a factor in the team's plans for 2026. The plan is to see how he's looking around January. If he's healthy, maybe a team will look to make a deal with the Braves. It would have to be the right deal, however. They're willing to test rotating Murphy and Baldwin at the catcher and DH spots this upcoming season. In the right circumstance, trading Murphy truly does make sense. There is a reason he has come up in previous rumors and speculation. Having two starting-caliber catchers is not a bad thing, but it creates a puzzle to solve. Ideally, the team has a full-time catcher and a full-time designated hitter. A Murphy trade could be what nets them a designated hitter and opens space for Baldwin to be the starting catcher. If not a designated hitter directly, it opens up the spot to acquire one in a separate move. The Braves also need starting pitching. Murphy could be a trade piece to get one with some control. Nothing is imminent, but if a move were to happen, it wouldn't catch anyone off guard. There is plenty of time for any current plans to change. More From Atlanta Braves on SI
Dallas Cowboys' chances of beating Lions just increased with an update the NFL world will hate to hear
The 6-5-1 Dallas Cowboys are looking to extend their win streak to four in a row next Thursday when they take on the 7-5 Detroit Lions on primetime television. Though the Lions are known as one of the best teams in the conference, they are struggling to be consistent on offense, and the defense has serious problems, too. There are a lot of factors that go into Detroit's biggest issues on offense, which was known as one of the scariest units in the league not that long ago. But it all starts with the trenches, where they simply haven't been the same. The Lions' offensive line's struggles reached the point where they had to draw former second-team All-Pro center Frank Ragnow out of retirement. However, Ragnow's return is over before it even got a chance to get going. Lions announce Ragnow failed his physical ahead of Cowboys matchup On Saturday, the Lions announced Ragnow's activation to the 53-man roster isn't happening after he failed his physical. "The medical exam revealed a Grade 3 hamstring strain that will keep him from participating for the remainder of the regular season," the team's statement reads. "For that reason, Frank will not be rejoining the Lions." It was already unlikely Ragnow would play in Week 14 due to his inactivity this year. However, the Lions are reaching must-win territory, so it wasn't out of the question. This update confirms it. It's a disappointing update even though it helps the Cowboys' chances of winning. You never want to see a star's return get ruined before it even starts. But it is what it is in football. With that being said, there's no denying it's an objectively positive development for a Dallas team starving for any break it can get as it tries to make the playoffs. Cowboys' rising DL will face struggling Lions OL Over the last few years, the motor driving the Lions' success was its offensive line. Now that it's struggling, Jared Goff's play is showing flaws, and the run game has been inconsistent. On the other side, the Cowboys' defense is quickly improving. Since Quinnen Williams' arrival via trade, Matt Eberflus' unit has shown an ability to pressure the quarterback and stop the run. While it hasn't been perfect, it's that interior defensive line that's sparked quality play. The Cowboys are 3.5-point underdogs against the Lions heading into Week 14 but this advantage in the trenches could position them to pull off a third consecutive upset. window.addEventListener('message', function (event) {if (event.data.totalpoll event.data.totalpoll.action === 'resizeHeight') {document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-375').height = event.data.totalpoll.value;}}, false);document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-375').contentWindow.postMessage({totalpoll: {action: 'requestHeight'}}, '*'); This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Nov 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Arch Manning has defining performance of college career in win over Texas A&M
In the biggest game of his college football career so far, Texas quarterback Arch Manning grew into the superstar he was touted to be with the nation watching. No. 16 Texas (9-3) earned a huge rivalry win over No. 3 Texas A M (11-1) in Austin on Friday in large part thanks to the second-half play of Manning. Manning was only 8-of-21 for 51 yards in the first half, and the Longhorns trailed the Aggies 10-3 at the break. Texas had an opportunity to kick a field goal and cut the A M lead to four at the break, but an intentional grounding penalty incurred by Manning took that opportunity away. Arch Manning lights up the scoreboard in second half But with the help of a Texas defense that rattled TAMU QB Marcel Reed in the second half, Manning and the 'Horns scored 24 second-half points in a winning effort. Texas' first drive of the second half netted three points, but a strike from Manning to Ryan Wingo on the next UT possession gave the Longhorns the lead and gave Manning some confidence. After another defensive stop, Manning led a six-play, 83-yard TD drive to put the Longhorns up by 10. After Texas A M responded, Manning did as well, running away from the Aggie defense on a 35-yard scoring sprint that ultimately served as the deciding blow. In the end, it was Reed — the more experienced and consistent of the two quarterbacks — that made the back-breaking mistake, throwing an interception deep in Texas territory on a drive that looked poised to end with points. The victory was a team effort for Texas, which will await Saturday's slate of games and beg for several playoff contenders to lose to have a shot at the 12-team playoff field. But it was Manning who would be the face of it. Manning went 14-of-29 for 179 yards and a touchdown through the air and added 53 yards and a score on the ground. The win serves as the biggest moment of Manning's young UT career. Going into Saturday, Manning's sophomore season was marred by inconsistent play. A career day against Arkansas was contrasted by middling performances against Ohio State and Georgia. Standout efforts in wins over Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma were overshadowed by no-shows against UTEP, Kentucky and Florida. But Manning rose to his greatest challenge on Saturday, delivering a win in a rivalry game that nobody in the state of Texas — whether they wear burnt orange or maroon — will soon forget.
Takeaways from Black Friday's biggest college football games: Texas A&M loses chance at SEC championship
Eagles fans loudly booed Nick Sirianni for questionable decision
Philadelphia Eagles fans were fuming at their team after the first half of Friday’s game against the Chicago Bears, and coach Nick Sirianni took a lot of heat for one particular decision. The Eagles offense once again struggled at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. on Friday, scoring just three points against the Bears. The Eagles tallied just two first downs and 83 total yards in the half while running only 17 plays. Sirianni remained conservative right down to the half. The Eagles got the ball back down a touchdown with 2:47 left, and completed a 1-yard pass on the first play of the drive. Sirianni then opted to let the clock run down to the two-minute warning instead of trying to run another play, leading to loud boos. The Eagles did have all three timeouts left, and Sirianni was likely trying to prevent the Bears from getting the ball back before halftime. Given how bad the offense had been up to that point, however, fans did not care one bit. Sirianni’s plan did not work, as the Eagles wound up going three-and-out. Sirianni was angrily yelling on the sideline at that point as the boos got louder. The Eagles were loudly booed off the field at halftime, and they were lucky to only be down a touchdown. The Philadelphia offense has been a source of frustration for much of the season, but things have hit a fever pitch after their collapse against the Dallas Cowboys last week. The Eagles ended up losing, 24-15. The team is 8-4, but if the offense does not turn around, they will have a hard time repeating as Super Bowl champions.
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