Alex Anthopoulos’ latest comments on Spencer Strider’s injury a big sigh of relief

Atlanta Braves fans have been a little worried about the starting rotation since losing multiple arms to injury. Spencer Strider was another unfortunate victim of this right before the season began.

Strider was placed on the 15-day injured list with a Grade 1 left oblique strain on March 25th. That's not what anyone in the organization had in mind for their flamethrowing righty this season.

Unfortunately, Strider has struggled over the last couple of years with injuries. He missed most of 2024 as he recovered from a torn UCL in his right elbow, then suffered a right hamstring strain after his first start back in 2025, which put him on the IL for a month. When he returned, he was hardly the same pitcher.

This isn't his first oblique strain, as he suffered from a left oblique strain in 2022 and missed close to a month. So, there was a lot of reason to believe he might miss around a month with a similar injury this time around.

Braves remain hopeful for swift return of Spencer Strider after encouraging injury update

Fortunately, it seems this time, Strider's injury is much milder. Strider was ready to pitch in his next spring start, but he advised the team that he felt something during his prior start and bullpen. That's how they found the injury after an MRI.

The team decided to just play it safe with their former ace, rather than push it. They made the right decision because the last thing everyone needed was for Strider to be sidelined for multiple months trying to pitch in a spring game.

In a recent interview, Alex Anthopoulos noted that Sean Murphy was in the room when Strider learned of his injury. Murph has dealt with the same injury before, but his was a bit more severe.

According to AA, Murph said he should be fine if Strider isn't feeling anything while "sneezing or coughing". Murph explained further that it took him four weeks just to get to the point where he could sneeze or cough without feeling something in his side.

Strider was recently seen throwing catch before a game on Opening Weekend. That is a very encouraging sign. There's no indication whether he will pitch in a rehab game yet or not. Surely, he will need at least one start before

After Murphy's comments, Strider's feelings, and AA's comments, it seems Strider may be closer to returning than expected. He is eligible to come off the injured list on April 6th since his IL stint was made retroactive to March 22nd. That is absolutely great news for the Braves.