Spencer Strider's return from elbow surgery to the Atlanta Braves has been a bit of a slog. While there is no indication that he is dealing with any more health concerns as he is throwing plenty hard, there is no denying that there has been a change in Strider's stuff this season and the Braves' starter even seems to think that he could be tipping his pitches.
Both he and the Braves have undergone an exhaustive search for answers to get Strider back on track. Manager Brian Snitker recently said he wanted to try to use a six-man rotation through the end of the season when possible to give guys like Strider some extra rest during the season's final months.
That plan for extra rest had largely held up and Strider was supposed start on Sunday with an extra day of downtime. However, Braves fans were treated to some unpleasant news with the word that Atlanta had scratched Strider from the start and would go with Joey Wentz instead.
Wentz is starting instead of Strider today. Strider will pitch against the Cubs one of these next few days. He would have already been starting today with one day of extra rest. But the Braves say this isn’t injury related
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) September 7, 2025
Braves scratch Spencer Strider from Sunday's start as his short-term outlook looks murky
The good news is that the Braves has already said that the scratch isn't health related. While it is never great news that a guy is scratched from a start, the Braves generally don't outright lie about injury stuff like some other clubs do. The more likely explanation for the move is that Atlanta has Wentz available who they think could match up well against Seattle or at least be a better option than the current version of Strider.
There have been some signs that Strider has been figuring things out over the last few weeks, but there is no ignoring that his strikeout stuff still eludes him. Over his last four starts, Strider has averaged two strikeouts per start. A modest decline in strikeouts is one thing, but Strider's K numbers have completely cratered.
Perhaps Atlanta and Strider know what is tipping opposing hitters off or know that his current issues could be uniquely exploited by the Mariners hence the move. Unfortunately, untill we see Strider make real progress and get back to missing bats like he used to, every little hiccup is going to be dissected to death.