Spencer Strider returns to IL after suffering bizarre injury

Spencer Strider only managed to make one start this season before having to go back on the injured list.

On Monday, the Atlanta Braves placed their ace right-hander Strider on the 15-day IL due to a strained right hamstring. Mark Bowman of MLB.com later reported on the bizarre circumstances surrounding the injury — Strider apparently strained his hamstring while playing catch earlier in the day on Monday.

The 26-year-old Strider was one of the very best pitchers in all of baseball during the 2023 season, going 20-5 with a 3.86 ERA and an MLB-leading 281 strikeouts. Strider was named an All-Star that year and also made the All-MLB First Team.

But Strider’s 2024 campaign was derailed by a UCL injury in his throwing elbow, for which he had to undergo season-ending surgery in April after making just two starts. Strider notably opted for an alternative to Tommy John surgery (an internal brace procedure), which allowed him to return to the mound quicker.

Last Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays, Strider made his very first start since his injury, allowing two runs on five hits in five innings and striking out five as the Braves would go on to lose 3-1. Now just five days later, Strider has been forced to return to his familiar place on the IL.

This has been a nightmare season thus far for the Braves, who have gotten off to an 8-13 start (dead last in the NL East). In addition to their brutal struggles at the plate as well injuries hitting them left and right, Atlanta has also recently experienced some internal dysfunction.