In the latest blow to the Atlanta Braves' starting rotation, right-hander Spencer Strider will begin the season on the injured list after being diagnosed with an oblique strain, manager Walt Weiss told reporters Monday.
Strider had been scheduled to start in Monday's spring training finale against Pittsburgh before being scratched. The team hasn't issued a timeline for Strider's return, but Weiss said the hope is that he can return in a few weeks.
Strider, 27, missed most of the first six weeks of last season and then delivered the worst year of his career, going 7-14 with a 4.45 ERA and 131 strikeouts.
He went 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA in 8 1/3 innings of work in spring training for the Braves as he tries to regain the form he showed in 2023, when the All-Star led the majors with 20 victories and 281 strikeouts.
The injury is the latest setback for an Atlanta starting rotation that has already seen both Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep put on the 60-day injured list after undergoing elbow surgery and lefty Joey Wentz declared out for the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee.
On the offensive side, shortstop Ha-Seong Kim will miss more than a month with a hand injury, while Jurickson Profar was suspended for the entire season after a positive PED test.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
