In the latest blow to the Atlanta Braves’ starting rotation, right-hander Spencer Strider will begin the season on the injured list after being diagnosed with an oblique strain, manager Walt Weiss told reporters Monday.
Strider had been scheduled to start in Monday’s spring training finale against Pittsburgh before being scratched. The team hasn’t issued a timeline for Strider’s return, but Weiss said the hope is that he can return in a few weeks.
Strider, 27, missed most of the first six weeks of last season and then delivered the worst year of his career, going 7-14 with a 4.45 ERA and 131 strikeouts.
He went 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA in 8 1/3 innings of work in spring training for the Braves as he tries to regain the form he showed in 2023, when the All-Star led the majors with 20 victories and 281 strikeouts.