When Spencer Strider's fastball velocity saw a big dip and both Walt Weiss and the trainers came out to the mound, time basically stopped for the Atlanta Braves. While the score against a hated division rival still mattered, focus almost entirely turned to Strider's health. Not because his life was in jeopardy or anything like that, but because everyone at least had fleeting thoughts of what another major injury to Strider's arm could mean.
One reason why teams tend to shy away from giving pitchers extensions like the one Strider got is due to the injury risk involved. Pitchers are simply more likely to get hurt given the repetitive forces that they put on their arms every time they take the mound. A guy having one serious arm injury in his background isn't disqualifying, as lots of really good pitchers have one. However, with every injury after that, the odds that a pitcher will bounce back completely (or at all) go down quite a bit.
Unfortunately, that is what Strider has to face today. There was clearly something very wrong with him on Friday night in New York. Depending on what sorts of news Strider and the Braves get from his imaging, the results could absolutely be career-defining for the young right-hander.
RHP Spencer Strider left tonight’s game due to right arm soreness.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 13, 2026
Spencer Strider's career is very much on the line with his latest injury, but there is some hope
Again, if this were Strider's first real arm injury, it wouldn't be that big an issue beyond covering his roster spot while he was out. However, Strider had Tommy John surgery in 2019 while he was still at Clemson, and, because of a bone chip literally in his repaired tendon from the first surgery, he required internal brace surgery in 2024. Call it bad luck or whatever you want, the fact remains that Strider already has two major arm surgeries on his ledger, and that poses a real problem when another injury happens.
You see, these tendon repairs always result in the tendons involved being a little bit shorter/more insecure than the last time. Scar tissue builds up, and flexibility decreases. Sure, you could make a lengthy list of pitchers who ended up just fine after one elbow surgery, and you can still put together a solid (if much smaller) sampling of quality arms who have had two arm surgeries. Once you get to three or more, well...you can see the problem. A move to the bullpen could prolong Strider's career in this scenario, but it also isn't guaranteed to work at all.
Importantly, we don't actually know what is truly bothering Strider. Perhaps it is a different sort of arm injury that hasn't compromised his UCL in any way. That is what doctors are for. However, like everyone was thinking at the time, this injury feels like it could be different. This might not be just being without Strider for a season plus. We actually could be watching the beginning of the end of Strider's career, and that is genuinely sad.
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