Philadelphia Phillies Rival Atlanta Braves Officially Lose Ace For Entire Year

The Philadelphia Phillies' rivals were dealt a major blow after they put their ace on the injured list with a season-ending injury.

Mar 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Things haven't quite gone the way the Philadelphia Phillies would have hoped to start this season. They are currently .500 entering Saturday after their offense has spoiled multiple strong pitching performances from the starters.

The positive is that their starting rotation once again looks like a top unit in the league as their hitters try and work through whatever is ailing them.

On Saturday, there was a major shakeup for the divisional race as the Atlanta Braves officially put Spencer Strider on the injured list after he underwent season-ending surgery to repair the damaged UCL in his throwing elbow.

Mark Polishuk of MLB Trade Rumors reported that instead of the usual Tommy John surgery that normally is done to repair torn UCLs, Strider opted for an internal brace surgery.

The star right-hander previously had Tommy John surgery in 2019 when he was attending Clemson University. After his debut year in 2021, he appeared in 30-plus games each season before suffering this injury.

Internal brace procedures are still relatively new, but they are thought to be "less serious" in nature than undergoing the full Tommy John option.

Still, Strider will miss the remainder of this year, delivering a huge blow to the Braves and their rotation.

He led the entire MLB in wins (20) and strikeouts (281) during 2023, finishing fourth in NL Cy Young voting.

Atlanta still has plenty of firepower to withstand an injury like this, but this certainly hurts them and gives the Phillies a much greater chance at winning the NL East for the first time since 2011.