Braves manager Walt Weiss on Friday updated the status of several players who are currently on the injured list, most notably pitchers Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach.
Strider left a June 12 start against the Mets in New York with right elbow discomfort. He has been on the 15-day injured list since.
The Braves officially shut Strider down June 16 for a period of four weeks after Strider visited Dr. Keith Meister, an orthopedic and sports medicine surgeon in Arlington, Texas, and an MRI showed no structural damage to Strider’s pitching elbow. Strider is scheduled to have a follow-up appointment next week with Meister and it will be determined then if he needs another MRI.
Thus, the best-case scenario for Strider would be to begin throwing later this month and maybe — maybe — return in late August.
“He’s not close to being back here. Spencer’s not even really on the radar right now,” Braves’ manager Walt Weiss put it bluntly.
There were some clubhouse rumblings that Schwellenbach may begin a rehab stint during the All-Star Break, or maybe some time this weekend. That has not happened (yet), and even if it did, it would still mean the right-hander would be at least a month away from being at full-strength.
Schwellenbach had elbow surgery in February, an injury that dealt a blow to the Braves’ starting rotation long before the season even began.
Asked if it would be accurate to assume either Schwellenbach or Strider would pitch again in 2026, Weiss said, “I wouldn’t say it’s inaccurate.”
He added: “I think there’s a chance we could see both of them, but yeah, sitting here today, it’s hard to say.”
A third Braves’ pitcher, Robert Suarez, was in the clubhouse Friday. The right-handed setup man has been on the 15-day injured list since June 26 because of forearm tightness.
“He’s still got a little ways. He’s just playing catch, hasn’t thrown a bullpen yet. He’s a little ways away,” Weiss said. “No setbacks or anything like that, we’re just slow-playing. It was a really important piece. He dealt with this in the past in previous years. We’re taking it easy with this one.”
Two players who are much closer to a return to the big-league club are right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr and Ha-Seong Kim. Both were transferred to Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday but did not play as the team’s game at Toledo was postponed.
Kim, who was sidelined with a finger injury, is 2-for-6 with a home run in three games with the Florida Complex League Braves while Acuna, out with a hamstring strain, is 1-for-7 with a grand slam.
Weiss said there is a schedule and plan for Acuna’s return and he wouldn’t rule out Acuna rejoining the team this weekend.
The Braves are also still without outfielder Mike Yastrzemski (elbow) and catcher Sean Murphy (broken finger).
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