What's Next After Braves Receive Injury Prognosis for Spencer Strider

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves have officially announced that starter Spencer Strider will be shut down for up to four weeks after his consultation with Dr. Keith Meister on Monday morning. The club made the announcement on their social media pages on Monday afternoon.

"Following a consultation with Dr. Keith Meister today, RHP Spencer Strider will be shut down from throwing for four weeks and then undergo a follow-up MRI. Provided that scan is clear, he will then begin a throwing progression," they wrote.

The news about Strider comes after an earlier report indicated that his MRI revealed no ligament damage.

He initially left Friday night's game against the New York Mets following a precipitous decline in his velocity, which saw him throwing fastballs as slow as 88 miles per hour. Strider was later placed on the 15-day injured list, but now it is known that he may not return until after the All-Star break in July.

In the meantime, the Braves will need to figure out their rotation for the next month. Chris Sale, Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes, and Martín Pérez have held the line for them thus far, but losing Strider for this prolonged period leaves them with a significant hole.

The Braves received a positive development with Hurston Waldrep, with the starter making the move up to Triple-A after being activated from his rehab assignment over the weekend. He made his return faster than many expected, and has stretched out to 53 pitches when he pitched into the fourth inning for Double-A Columbus as recently as Thursday night.

Despite the positive development, Waldrep should not be expected to make a return to the big league club any time soon. The plan remains for him to continue with his build up, similar to that of a spring training program.

"Excited about when he's gonna be part of this, but he still has some pitching in front of him to do," Braves manager Walt Weiss said Thursday.

As for Spencer Schwellenbach, there is still a considerable road to travel. The starter is still building up to 120 on flat ground. After that point, he will begin his mound work. He and AJ Smith-Shawver, who will start his rehab soon, should not be expected in the season's first half.

JR Ritchie was called up last week, and Weiss said he would operate as the direct replacement for the time being -- he covered five innings for the Braves on Friday night and is already on the same schedule as Strider. Ritchie has a 4.40 ERA, allowing 23 hits, 13 earned runs, and four homers, while striking out 26, over six appearances (five starts) and 30.2 innings pitched with the big league club.

Should Ritchie struggle in replacing Strider, the options are somewhat limited.

Reynaldo López has had a good run of appearances out of the bullpen (zero runs and one hit or fewer in four of his last five games), and could operate as an opener for them. Another option could be Didier Fuentes, who has been outstanding over his 20 appearances (four starts) this season. He features a 2.25 ERA and 33 strikeouts over those 28.0 innings pitched.

The unfortunate side of those options is the fact that the Braves already have a beleaguered bullpen and need arms for that role, so they could opt to go to Triple-A for an arm.

Owen Murphy is a top prospect, but probably needs more outings before he would be ready to make his major league debut. Still, he has the traits that MLB teams salivate over. He most recently struck out 10 batters and allowed one earned run in over 6.0 innings in Triple-A. Other minor league options include Garrett Baumann or Victor Mederos, but those should be considered spot-starters.

With all this in mind, the prospects of an outside acquisition feel increasingly likely. Should the Braves go that route, Jacob deGrom, Logan Webb, Joe Ryan, and Michael Wacha are viable options for them on the trade market. The big fish will be Tarik Skubal, but the Tigers have not yet opened discussions for their two-time Cy Young winner.

But the Braves find themselves in a difficult position. The Braves were considered buyers for a starter before the Strider injury, but now they will need to fill a month or more of starts for a club with World Series aspirations. How they handle the next few weeks will be critical.

The Braves have a scheduled off day on Monday, but will resume action for a six-game home stand starting on Tuesday. They will take on the San Francisco Giants and streaking Milwaukee Brewers this week at Truist Park.

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