The Atlanta Braves have had a surprisingly bad start to the 2025 season. They began the season 0-7, and many people pointed to the absence of Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna Jr. as a big reason why. However, it seems to be a mixture of missing their star players and poor starts from some of their other contributors that leads to them being in last place in the NL East. Strider recovered from Tommy John surgery to make one start last week, but he is headed back to the injured list with a hamstring injury.
Spencer Strider Injury Better Than Expected
Strider injured his hamstring playing catch and had to be placed on the injured list. Many people worried he would miss a substantial amount of time, but it now appears the injury is better than expected. According to Mark Bowman, Strider has a grade 1 hamstring strain. That is the lowest degree of strain, but it will still take a few weeks to heal.
Strider has a Grade 1 hamstring strain. This is the mildest of strains, but it will still take some time to heal. A timetable for return will be determined over the next couple weeks.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 22, 2025
It’s not ideal to have Strider back on the IL after just one start. But the Braves need to be cautious with their ace. For now, the Braves will continue to rely on Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach, and company to hold down the fort in the starting rotation.
The Braves Still Have Playoff Expectations
Even with a record of 9-13 and currently in last place in the NL East, the Braves are still expected to be a playoff team this season. The one issue for Atlanta is that they will likely have to win the division to get a playoff spot. Despite there being three wild-card teams in the NL, the NL West has four teams that appear to be legitimate contenders.
The Braves hope the looming return of Acuna Jr. will turn their season around. He is a former MVP and one of the most exciting players in baseball. He can change the entire lineup just with his presence.
Even without Acuna and Strider, it is rare to see the rest of the Braves not pick up the slack. They have multiple All-Stars in their lineup with Marcell Ozuna, Matt Olson, and Austin Riley. Outside of Ozuna, not one player in the Braves lineup has an average over .280. Not to mention, Sale has an ERA of 6.71 after five starts this year. You would have to think that things will get better for the Braves, and they have to if they want to be playing into October.