The Braves confirmed on Saturday that Spencer Strider’s MRI found damage to his UCL. The ace struggled in his start the day before and informed the trainers that his elbow was bothering him after leaving the game.
While the organization stated that they were seeking a second opinion before deciding on the next course of action, they did say that the 25-year-old will be placed on the Injured List, but they would wait a day before making a roster change.
On Sunday morning, they announced that Allan Winans would replace Strider on the 26-man roster.
Will Alan Winans replace Spencer Strider in the Braves rotation?
Last season, Allan Winans made his major league debut against the Brewers, two and a half weeks before his 28th birthday. Winans made spot starts throughout the season, finishing with six starts and a 5.29 ERA over 32.1 innings.
Although Winans began games last season, the righty is expected to serve as a long reliever in his first season in the majors. However, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, if he is not used by next Wednesday, he could be considered for the starting position.
The club does have a wealth of depth in the Triple-A rotation, with Bryce Elder, Darius Vines, AJ Smith-Shawver, Dylan Dodd, and Huascar Ynoa all making starts with the Gwinnett Stripers, in addition to Winans.
Bryce Elder, on the other hand, will not take over as starting for Strider right now. The 2023 All-Star started last night, putting him on short rest for Wednesday’s start.
Darius Vines, who appeared in five Braves games (two starts) last season, went seven innings on Thursday, striking out seven and surrendering two runs.
AJ Smith-Shawver started on Friday but only lasted 0.2 innings. Dylan Dodd pitched 6.2 innings, allowing two runs and striking out five.
The Braves will most likely reveal their Wednesday starter after Tuesday’s game, but for the time being, Allan Winans has his first chance to make a huge impression in 2024.
