Braves will not give injury update on ace pitcher until weekend

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider.

Atlanta Braves ace pitcher Spencer Strider met with Dr. Keith Meister on Monday, but the team is not going to give an update on Strider’s status until the weekend.

Even worse, Braves manager Brian Snitker said on Tuesday that meeting with Meister did not remove the possibility of Tommy John surgery.

Strider is one of the league’s best pitchers and the ace of one of the best teams in baseball. But following his last start he complained about elbow pain and was immediately sent to Texas to meet with Meister.

The fact the Braves are waiting until the weekend to make an announcement, and are already saying surgery has not been ruled out after the meeting, is not a positive sign that Strider is going to be on the mound anytime soon. If the news were good, the Braves would be eager to share that.

If he has to undergo surgery — or has already undergone surgery and the Braves are just waiting to announce it — that would be an almost impossible hole for the Braves to try and fill.

Their rotation is still very strong and their lineup is good enough to score enough runs to stay in contention, but Strider is on the short list of top pitchers in the league. They are a significantly better team when he is taking the mound every fifth day.

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