Hey. Hey! I thought today was when we were gonna talk about the Braves Are Doomed, Reynaldo Lopez Edition. Then this happens.
Not too much more to say, really. Injured List, meet Spencer Strider. Spencer Strider, meet the Injured List. Oh, what’s that? You’re already acquainted? In fact, you were already acquainted in these exact circumstances late in the 2022 season, when Strider was shut down with an oblique issue for the last few weeks of the season (but returned to make a playoff start). Well, in that case…
In any case, this probably won’t help the feeling of gross stuff in the gorge for those of you fully subscribed to the Braves Are Doomed feed. This does maybe make the guys-who-are-out-of-options roster math a little easier for the Braves coming out of Spring Training, but it’s also not clear how long Strider will be out. Again, this could be a very minor setback, but Strider’s had enough issues in his brief career so far that nothing seems “very minor” as far as his availability and effectiveness are concerned. Obliques are often talked about as lingering, but that tends to be in the context of hitters — the Braves did feel comfortable giving Strider about two weeks off in 2022 with a similarly-described issue and then throwing him right into a playoff start afterwards. (He was not very good in that start, but there’s no useful way to pin that on the injury or missed time.)
The runway just keeps widening for Didier Fuentes to make some noise. Or, the Braves may pick up some roster cut for additional depth. Maybe this forces Martin Perez into early season plans. Stay tuned.
At this time, the Opening Day rotation is now six Bryce Elders. (Okay, fine, it’s technically Chris Sale, Grant Holmes, Reynaldo Lopez, Elder, and… Fuentes? Perez? What’s Rich Hill doing?)
