On one side of the Braves’ clubhouse, Austin Riley said one thing about Spencer Strider’s awful news. On the other, Travis d’Arnaud said another.
They expressed the same sentiment.
“Devastating,” Riley said after Saturday’s thrilling comeback victory over Arizona.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow,” d’Arnaud said.
Earlier in the day, the Braves learned the worst possible news: Their ace, Strider, has damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He will be evaluated by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, within the next few days.
He could need Tommy John surgery.
“It’s devastating for us. It’s devastating for him,” d’Arnaud said. “It stings.”
As common as Tommy John procedures are nowadays, they are still sobering to accept. They are baseball’s grim reaper, ready to strike at any moment. No one is immune – not even Strider, who eats healthy (with a vegan diet) and cares for his body with precision.
The three letters you never want to see in an update about a pitching injury: UCL.
“You never want to hear of something like that,” Riley said. “For a guy that works so hard and is so honed in on his craft, he cares so much, you just kind of feel for him. He’s one of those guys that it’s unfortunate and you hate that it happened, but he’s somebody that’s gonna put in the time and the effort to get back to where he was. Feel for him more than anything.”
The Braves released their update on Strider at 4:20 p.m. on Saturday. Speaking in the clubhouse before that, Michael Harris II said he didn’t know all the details. “It’s tough to see someone like that go down,” he offered. After all, Harris and Strider came up together and finished first and second, respectively, in National League Rookie of the Year voting two seasons ago.
“Just hoping that he can be with us soon enough and (hoping for) a speedy recovery if there is something wrong,” Harris said. “He definitely means a lot to this team and I know he wants to be out there really bad.”
Max Fried saw Strider for a couple minutes on Saturday. He told Strider that he would be there if the 25-year-old righty needed anything.
“He’s a big part of this team,” Fried said. “Obviously, don’t know the full details quite yet, but you really feel for him. He works just as hard as anyone that I’ve ever seen. I’m just hoping for the best-case scenario.”
The grim reality: Strider might’ve pitched his final inning this season. Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said the club will learn more after Strider visits Meister in the coming days, but the skipper didn’t seem too confident that Strider would return this season – though he didn’t say Strider was lost for the year, either.
If he needs Tommy John surgery – it would be his second such procedure – he would likely miss half of next season, too. Again, it hasn’t yet come to that, but the situation seems bleak.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
In spring training, Strider boldly discussed the Braves’ “World Series or bust” expectations. His view: Why should the Braves be afraid to voice their goal? In his third full season in the majors, he’s already become a clubhouse leader and spokesman.
But the Braves might be without him for a significant amount of time – perhaps the entire season. Nothing is official, but there doesn’t seem to be much optimism.
The Braves, though, will need to push forward. They have big goals, and the roster to achieve those.
Two seasons ago, they lost Ronald Acuña Jr. during the summer and went on to win the World Series. The season is never decided in April.
The Braves won’t feel sorry for themselves.
“You hate to lose (a guy) like that,” Snitker said. “But we’re gonna keep going and fighting hard. It’s happened to a lot of other teams. We’re not the only ones that have been bit by this, this year. That’s just part of it. You deal with it, and that’s why you try to acquire depth in your organization, because you know you’re gonna need it. Nobody is insulated from it, everybody goes through it. There have been multiple teams out there that have dealt with this same thing.”
About the Author
