Braves right-hander Spencer Strider leaves start vs. Mets in 4th inning with arm soreness

NEW YORK (AP) — Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider will undergo imaging after he left Friday night against the New York Mets in the fourth inning because of right shoulder and elbow soreness.

“It’s never good when a guy walks off the field,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said after a late comeback bid by Atlanta fell short in a 7-5 loss. “We’ll get the images taken and we’ll see what they say. But it doesn’t look great as we stand here right now.”

Strider left one batter into the fourth and allowed six hits and a season-worst seven earned runs in three innings while taking the defeat. He struck out three. He allowed three homers, including a grand slam to Bo Bichette in the second inning.

Strider’s velocity was considerably lower as he issued a six-pitch walk to MJ Melendez. The three fastballs Strider threw during the at-bat were all at either 88 or 89 mph, down from the 92 to 96 mph pitches he threw in the first two innings.

“The alarm bells went off when we started seeing the upper 80s with his fastball,” Weiss said.

Weiss and a trainer visited Strider, who underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in 2019 and had the UCL in his right elbow repaired with an internal brace in April 2024.

Weiss said Strider let them know of the elbow and shoulder discomfort and that he wasn’t aware of the reduced velocity. Strider walked off the mound after a short consultation.

Strider was making his eighth start of the season for the MLB-leading Braves after missing the first 34 games recovering from a strained left oblique. He is 4-2 with a 5.31 ERA this season and 11-16 with a 4.66 ERA since returning from the elbow surgery last year.

Strider was 32-10 with a 3.47 ERA in his first 67 big league appearances prior to the internal brace procedure. He became baseball’s most recent 20-game winner in 2023, when he went 20-5 while reaching 200 strikeouts in 130 innings — the fastest any pitcher has ever gotten to 200 whiffs in season.

“He’s been through a lot in the last few years, trying to work his way back,” Weiss said.

JR Ritchie replaced Strider on Friday and threw the final five innings.

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