Update

The news that no one in Atlanta wanted to hear, Spencer Strider has been diagnosed with a torn UCL in his right elbow. The Atlanta ace will likely have Tommy John surgery in the near future.

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

Damage to the UCL usually requires Tommy John surgery to repair. Not always, but usually. Strider had TJ surgery in 2019.

— David O’Brien (@DOBrienATL) April 6, 2024

There’s some troubling news coming out of Atlanta. According to reports, Braves ace Spencer Strider will undergo an MRI on his right elbow on Saturday after complaining about discomfort during his Friday night start against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Spencer Strider’s elbow was bothering him tonight and he’s getting an MRI tomorrow, per @mlbbowman pic.twitter.com/1OjIm1XIjf

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 6, 2024

The 25-year-old righty looked noticeably “off” on Friday night against the defending National League Champions. Strider needed 88 pitches to get through four innings of work. The diminutive ace gave five earned runs to the D-backs during the outing. An pre-season Cy Young candidate, Strider has allowed eight earned runs in nine innings of work this season. 

Spencer Strider has thrown over 3,600 fastballs in the big leagues and his last one yesterday had more drop than all of the others.

No, that’s not a good thing. pic.twitter.com/cU3rzdXNnK

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 6, 2024

Strider’s style of pitching, while extremely entertaining, is a cause for concern. Standing 6-foot-even and weighing just 195-pounds, Strider has used his fastball to become one of the game’s most prominent arms. According to Major League Baseball’s advanced analytics, Strider throws his fastball nearly 60% of the time. Despite his size, Strider’s fastball routinely tops out around 97-MPH with a career high of 100.5 MPH,  

It was only a matter of time until the Braves and Strider found themselves in this predicament.

This wouldn’t be the first elbow issue for Strider in his baseball career. He suffered a torn UCL in 2019 while playing for the NCAA’s Clemson Tigers. He returned briefly for the Tigers posting a 4.50 ERA in just four games. Strider began his professional career shortly thereafter being drafted by Atlanta in the 4th round of the 2020 MLB Draft. 

Atlanta is hoping Strider won’t join a growing club of pitcher’s who’ve had Tommy John surgery twice. 

There’s a growing belief Atlanta will shut down Strider for a period of time even if Saturday’s MRI comes back showing no issues. Braves’ Insider Mark Bowman believes the team will take it slow with their ace citing pitching depth including Triple-A starter Dylan Dodd.

Strider could potentially become the third Major League Baseball pitcher just this week to be diagnosed with a torn UCL requiring Tommy John surgery. Miami Marlins pitcher Eury Perez received the injury news earlier this week. It was announced earlier on Saturday that Guardians’ ace Shane Bieber will also go under the knife.