"This makes me sick" - Braves fans worried about Spencer Strider after MRI revealed UCL damage
Following the recent update on Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves fans are on the edge of their seats. The ace underwent an MRI recently that revealed some UCL damage.
Strider will be going in for further evaluation, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale. He joins a growing list of pitchers who have gone down with UCL problems early into the new year.
Strider will visit Dr. Keith Meister, however a date for that evaluation has yet to be announced. Dr. Meister is a noted orthopedic surgeon who has worked with a multitude of big-league pitchers.
UCL damage is the last thing that Braves fans wanted to hear. Often, when pitchers experience UCL problems, it is met with Tommy John surgery. The fanbase is crossing their fingers that will not be the case, as that would end his season.
"This makes me sick" - one fan posted.
"This is bad for baseball" - another fan posted.
"Pitching clock strikes again" - said another.
Fans are starting to point the finger at the pitch clock as being a reason why so many pitchers have gone down with injuries. The pitch clock was reduced from 20 seconds to 18 with runners on base this season.
"I'm done here" - said another fan.
"Bro what is happening rn" - said another.
"Oh no.." - said another.
Pitchers are starting to drop like flies. If this continues, the league may have to look back at the pitch clock and figure out if that is what is damaging these arms.
Losing Spencer Strider would be a bummer for the Braves
The Braves have a lot of expectations this season. They finished the 2023 season with the best regular season record, winning 104 games, and brought much of their core back.
Spencer Strider has led the club's rotation since making a name for himself as a rookie in 2021. Losing him for the rest of the year would not be ideal, but the team can manage.
In the offseason, they traded to acquire Chris Sale from the Boston Red Sox. They also have Max Fried, Charlie Morton, Reynaldo Lopez, Bryce Elder, and AJ Smith-Shawver.
While they would love to have a healthy strider in the mix, that is a capable group of arms. The club could certainly still have World Series aspirations if Strider has to miss significant time.