The Braves adjusted their starting rotation, manager Brian Snitker announced Tuesday.
Bryce Elder, recalled Monday, will start Wednesday’s series finale against the Nationals. Max Fried, who was slated to start Wednesday, will start Thursday’s series opener in Philadelphia. Spencer Strider was pushed back because of left-oblique discomfort. The Braves said they don’t believe he’ll require time on the injured list.
“Strider came in with a little left oblique discomfort, so we’re going to skip him in the rotation,” Snitker said. “It’s not enough that we’ll need to (put him on the IL). We just don’t want to take any chances. He wanted to pitch, and we took it out of his hands. I’m glad he said something. That’s smart of him. If we don’t stay ahead of something like that, that could be an end-of-the-year type thing.
“He’ll continue to play catch, and when he doesn’t feel anything, we’ll slot him back in.”
In Elder’s past two major-league starts, both against Miami, he had a 0.69 ERA with a 16:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 13 innings. “Because of all that, it makes it easier to slot him in,” Snitker said. “And he’s ready.”
As an added benefit to the rotation maneuvering, Fried would be available for next weekend’s pivotal series against the Mets at Truist Park. Snitker: “We haven’t even looked – we’re just trying to get through these next 10 days.” Nonetheless, the Braves want their ace pitching in the most important series of the season.
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