Spencer Strider’s 2026 Season Could Be the Key to Atlanta’s Rotation Stability
The Atlanta Braves’ 2025 season was defined by a starting rotation that simply couldn’t stay healthy. Every member of the Opening Day rotation landed on the 60-day injured list at some point, and even Spencer Strider-who wasn’t in that original group-couldn’t avoid the injury bug. After rehabbing an elbow injury in April, Strider missed another month midseason, and his year ended up being a mixed bag.
But now comes 2026, and while the Braves aren’t asking Strider to carry the staff on his back, they do need him to be a stabilizing force. If Atlanta is going to keep pace in a loaded NL East, they need more than flashes from their electric right-hander-they need consistency.
Strider’s 2025: A Rollercoaster Year
Let’s start with the numbers. Strider finished 2025 with a 4.45 ERA and a 4.53 FIP across 125.1 innings.
Not exactly ace-level production, especially for a pitcher who once looked like a perennial Cy Young candidate. His strikeout rate-once his calling card-dipped to 24.3%, a far cry from the eye-popping 36.8% he posted during his breakout 2023 campaign.
That said, it wasn’t all bad. There were stretches where Strider looked like his old self.
From mid-June through mid-July, he went on a tear: a 2.53 ERA, 2.46 FIP, and a resurgent 34.1% strikeout rate over a five-start span that included a 13-strikeout performance against the Rockies and six shutout innings versus the Yankees. That version of Strider?
That’s the guy Braves fans remember-the one with the wipeout slider and the high-90s fastball that just explodes out of his hand.
But the inconsistency lingered. After that dominant stretch, he hit another rough patch before finishing strong with a 2.50 ERA over his final six starts.
The problem? The strikeouts didn’t come back with the same fury.
His whiff numbers down the stretch looked more like those of Bryce Elder than the flamethrower Atlanta’s built around.
A Reset and a New Perspective
After the season, Strider was candid: he needed the offseason to reset. It’s easy to forget how much of his 2025 was spent either rehabbing or ramping back up. There wasn’t much of a break, and for a high-intensity pitcher like Strider, that grind can take a toll-not just physically, but mentally.
Now, with a full offseason under his belt, a new pitching coach in the mix, and Strider’s trademark work ethic, there’s reason for optimism. He’s never been short on drive, and with a clean bill of health and a fresh perspective, the Braves are hoping he can channel that into a bounce-back year.
The Rotation Around Him
The good news for Atlanta? They don’t need Strider to be the ace this season.
With a healthy Chris Sale and the emergence of Spencer Schwellenbach, the top of the rotation has depth it didn’t in 2025. That gives Strider room to find his rhythm without the pressure of having to be the guy every fifth day.
But make no mistake-his performance still matters. The back half of the Braves’ rotation is full of question marks, and in a division where the Mets, Phillies, and Marlins are all pushing hard, there’s not a lot of margin for error.
If Strider can deliver something closer to his 2025 highs-minus the August struggles-Atlanta’s in a strong position. If not, they might find themselves scrambling for answers again.
The Bottom Line
Strider’s 2026 isn’t about reclaiming his title as the most dominant strikeout artist in the game-though if that happens, nobody in Atlanta will complain. It’s about giving the Braves a reliable, high-upside arm in the middle of the rotation.
The flashes last year showed he’s still got it. Now it’s about stringing it together over a full season.
If he does, the Braves' path to another NL East title gets a whole lot clearer. If he doesn’t, they’ll be leaning harder on a rotation that’s still trying to find its footing.