Little in the way of clarity for Spencer Strider

What does the future hold for Spencer Strider in a Braves uniform? There is little clarity when it comes to that question.

Strider, who turns 28 on Oct. 28, has been in Florida throwing bullpen sessions, Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said Sunday. Strider last pitched in an MLB game on June 12 and was rarely seen at Truist Park after, save for a postgame concert Aug. 11 featuring the three bands that were part of Strider’s vinyl record giveaway night.

Just days before that the right-handed pitcher had cleaned out his locker inside the clubhouse, and he no longer had a designated spot therein the final two months of the season. Strider was not with the team during the postseason, either.

Strider missed the first month of the ‘26 season with an oblique injury. That injury was the latest in what has become a long and unfortunate list for the one-time All-Star and former Cy Young Award and rookie of the year candidate.

After going 20-5 with a 3.36 ERA and striking out 281 batters in 186⅔ innings in 2023, Strider has logged only 173⅓ innings in the three seasons since. He missed virtually the entire 2024 season because of surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament, and made just three starts over the first two months of 2025 because of a hamstring injury.

The Braves were hopeful 2026 would be the year Strider returned to that 2023 form, or at least somewhere close to it. But on March 23, before what would have been his fourth outing of spring training, Strider shut himself down when he felt tightness in his oblique muscle.

Strider wouldn’t make his ‘26 debut until May 3 in Denver. Six days later he blanked the Dodgers for six innings in Los Angeles while striking out eight and giving up just one hit.

“The start against L.A. was old Strider,” Anthopoulos recalled. “That was like a flash of, ‘It’s still in there,’ right? I was as excited as I was to see him pitch because he just dominated. I don’t care who would have been in the box that day. His stuff was that good, his command was that good, his delivery was in a great place. So it’s certainly in there.”

One month and six starts later, Strider’s season had come to an end again. It was in New York City against the Mets that Strider walked off the mound in the fourth inning. His velocity had dropped significantly. His right shoulder and right elbow were sore.

The following week Strider was examined by Dr. Keith Meister, an orthopedic and sports medicine surgeon in Texas. The first step was a shutdown for four weeks. And results from MRI scans to the elbow showed no need for surgery.

Yet the timetable for recovery left no realistic window for a return to the rotation. There was an outside, albeit unlikely, chance Strider returned in August, but that return never formulated.

Strider is entering the penultimate year of a six-year contract. He’s making $22 million the next two seasons and the Braves have the option to retain his services in 2029 for that same price.

There were rumors around the August trade deadline that Strider was part of discussions to be dealt elsewhere. Those discussions could resume over the next few months, although it seems unlikely a club might be willing to take on the size of Strider’s contract.