ATLANTA — Atlanta Braves starters Spencer Strider and Hurston Waldrep will begin throwing programs this week, according to manager Walt Weiss. However, just because they are trending upward as they return from different arm injuries doesn’t mean they are locks to come back this season.
“I don’t think you count on that,” Weiss said Monday. “It’s great that we’re even talking about it at this point because I’m sure most of us had probably written that off, so the fact that it’s even a conversation is a positive thing.”
Strider last pitched for the Braves on June 12 in New York against the Mets, when he was pulled from the game after his velocity noticeably dropped. He was placed on the injured list the next day with right shoulder inflammation.
Strider has not been seen around the Braves clubhouse, and his locker was cleared out at the start of the second half of the season. He had a 5.31 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 39 innings before his injury.
“It’s a big leap between starting a throwing progression and pitching on a major-league mound in a major-league game,” Weiss said of Strider.
Waldrep was removed from his start with Triple-A Gwinnett on July 19 due to right arm discomfort and has sought opinions from different medical experts regarding the injury. This isn’t Waldrep’s first injury this season. He had elbow surgery in February to remove loose bodies and didn’t make his season debut with the Braves until June 26, pitching in three games (two starts) and allowing 10 earned runs in 10 2/3 innings. Waldrep was optioned to Triple A on July 10 and landed on the Stripers’ IL on July 21.
Though getting Strider and Waldrep back this season would be a boon to the Atlanta rotation, Braves starters have fared well since the All-Star break, posting a 2.52 ERA, the best in the majors over that span. Their 3.70 season ERA is the sixth-best in MLB. They also added Tyler Mahle at the trade deadline to improve their rotation depth. Mahle struck out nine batters across six scoreless innings in his debut at Yankee Stadium this past Friday.
In addition to updates on Strider and Waldrep, Weiss noted that reliever Robert Suárez has not begun any sort of throwing program since going on the injured list on June 26. The Braves bullpen, arguably one of the strongest parts of this team, has a 5.09 ERA since the All-Star break, 24th in MLB.
