Less than a week after making his season debut, Atlanta Braves right-hander Spencer Strider went on the 15-day injured list Monday after straining his right hamstring playing catch earlier in the day.
The move is retroactive to Friday and included the Braves calling up right-hander Michael Petersen from Triple-A Gwinnett to fill Strider’s roster spot.
Strider, 26, who missed most of last season following Tommy John surgery, pitched five innings of two-run ball in his season debut Wednesday at the Toronto Blue Jays, a 3-1 loss. He yielded five hits, struck out five and walked one over 97 pitches.
One of the game’s best young pitchers, Strider shined in 2023, when the Columbus, Ohio, native posted a 20-5 record and a 3.86 ERA in 186 2/3 innings while leading the majors with 281 strikeouts in his first All-Star campaign.
He finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting that season after placing second in the 2022 NL Rookie of the Year race with an 11-5 record, a 2.67 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 131 2/3 innings.
Over parts of five seasons with the Braves, who drafted him in the fourth round in 2020, Strider is 32-11 with a 3.47 ERA in 68 games (55 starts) with 500 strikeouts and 110 walks over 334 2/3 innings.
