The Braves may be facing the rest of the season without Spencer Strider.
That was the buried update in a Mark Bowman tweet during Saturday night’s game, one that got lost in the noise of Atlanta’s win over the Nationals. Bowman was going through the Braves’ current starting pitching picture when he noted that Strider could very well be finished for the 2026 season.
The reporting around Strider had already pointed in that direction. Bowman had referred to the situation as “scuttlebutt” a few days earlier, and the fact that Strider’s locker has been cleared out only adds to the sense that a return is not coming any time soon.
If that holds, it closes another difficult chapter in a season that never really got on track for Strider after his internal brace surgery on his throwing elbow in April 2024. He managed just 39 innings this year and finished with a 5.31 ERA, a 126 ERA-, and a 5.36 FIP, a steep drop from the dominant form he showed in 2023, when he was one of the most electric pitchers in baseball.
Since the surgery, Strider has been trying to reinvent himself and work within what his arm can give him. Injuries have kept getting in the way, slowing the process and making it hard for him to build any momentum.
For the Braves, the bigger takeaway is impossible to miss: they need starting pitching help. Beyond Martín Pérez’s heroics, there are too many question marks in the rotation and not nearly enough reliable answers.
That is not the kind of group you want lining up for a postseason roster or a playoff series rotation. With Strider likely unavailable, the need becomes even more urgent.
In Other News...
Braves Just Cleared Two Roster Spots For A Bigger Deadline Shift
The Braves used the deadline to shuffle the margins of their roster, dealing catcher Joey Bart to the White Sox and sending outfielder Eli White to the Red Sox in separate moves. In return, Atlanta picked up right-hander Duncan Davitt and minor league reliever Tyler Uberstine, with the latter optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett, a sign these were as much about clearing space as adding immediate help.
Those openings matter because the roster is not done changing. Atlanta has a potential return behind the plate looming in Sean Murphy, and another outfield addition in Lane Thomas could soon fit into the mix as well, giving the club a little more flexibility for the stretch run. For a team trying to line up the right pieces after deadline day, the next round of moves may end up being the more interesting part of this one. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Catching Picture Is Finally Changing At The Right Time
Joey Barts brief run as Atlantas backup catcher has come to an end after the Braves and White Sox struck a trade that sends him to Chicago for rookie right-hander Duncan Davitt. Bart had been filling in behind the plate for Atlanta, but the clubs catching picture is now shifting with the roster moving toward a different look.
Davitt arrives with a little bit of big league experience already, having made two major league appearances with Chicago before the deal. For the Braves, the rookie is expected to work out of the bullpen, giving them another arm as they reshape the back end of the staff and prepare for the next step in the catching rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Take Another Rotation Gamble With Tyler Mahle
The Braves dipped back into the rotation market with another move aimed at stabilizing the back end of their staff, acquiring right-hander Tyler Mahle from the Giants for right-hander Anthony Molina. Mahle has logged 18 starts this season in San Francisco, and while the results have been uneven, Atlanta is clearly banking on a change of scenery and a different voice to get more out of him down the stretch.
Jeremy Hefner now gets the challenge of helping Mahle sharpen things up in Atlanta, where the Braves have made it a priority to keep searching for usable innings. Molina had only thrown five innings for the club in 2026, so this is the kind of deal that says the Braves are willing to keep tinkering if they think there is still a path to more reliable starting help. [Read more 🡒]