Braves' $75,000,000M star’s latest IL stint surprises MLB fans

MLB: Atlanta Braves at Toronto Blue Jays - Source: Imagn — Braves' $75,000,000M star’s latest IL stint surprises MLB fans - Source: Imagn

The Atlanta Braves cannot seem to catch a break this season. After an underwhelming start that has them fourth in the National League East, the Braves revealed an injury to ace Spencer Strider this week.

On Monday, the Braves put Strider on the 15-day injured list after the ace injured his right hamstring, reportedly while playing catch, ruling him out for Tuesday's scheduled start against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Strider made just two starts last season before undergoing surgery to repair a UCL injury in his pitching elbow. He returned to action after almost a year against the Toronto Blue Jays last Wednesday. The Braves ace is on a six-year, $75,000,000 contract, signed in October 2022.

His latest injury frustrated fans as he had missed almost the entire 2024 season.

"Injured list?!?!? Again???? WTH"

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"And the Braves history of unsuccessfully rehabbing injured players continues," wrote a fan.

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"This can’t be serious bruh how is he hurt again already. I feel bad for yall man," wrote a perplexed fan.

"You can't be serious," vented a fan.

A fan argued that they shouldn't count on players returning to form after missing several months due to a major injury.

"This is why I dont count on players off major injury just coming back and fitting back in like nothing ever happened. I do not expect Ronnie (Acuña) to be in all star form either. Maybe not this year."

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Earlier this month, the Braves lost starter Reynaldo López to a shoulder injury. Lopez underwent arthroscopic surgery and is expected to be out of action till September.

Braves rally for fourth consecutive win in Spencer Strider's absence

While Spencer Strider's latest injury damned the mood of the Braves fans on Monday afternoon, Atlanta pulled a 7-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the series opener.

Sean Murphy blasted a three-run homer as the hosts rallied for a five-run eighth inning to clinch their fourth consecutive win, taking them to 9-13 for the season in Strider's absence.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash