Spencer Strider is likely to miss at least a large chunk, if not all, of the 2024 season after suffering a UCL injury. The Braves find themselves quickly scanning their starting pitching depth for answers to the newly vacated rotation spot.
This is not the spot the Braves hoped to be in after building one of the better rotations in baseball. Strider going down and Fried struggling early on has created some concerns for fans.
Allan Winans got the first official crack at claiming it, but after his drubbing Thursday at the hand of the New York Mets, he was optioned back to Gwinnett. Thankfully, the Braves have several choices to which they can turn and we'll take a look at five of them.
Bryce Elder (Triple-A Gwinnett)
The obvious answer is to turn to the man who earned himself an All-Star appearance after posting a 2.97 ERA over the first half of the 2023 season. But as most fans probably know at this point, Bryce Elder did fade down the stretch before being pushed back to Gwinnett to start the current season thanks to the Braves' ample starting depth. Through two starts in the minors so far, Elder has looked solid with a 2.61 ERA and a 26.8 strikeout percentage and remains the odds-on favorite to be the next man up.
However, there are reasons Atlanta may consider leaving Elder at the MiLB level and consider other options. Let's see a few of the alternatives to Elder.