We’ve recently received some updates surrounding the injuries to Spencer Strider and Ozzie Albies. Albies has yet to resume baseball activities after breaking his pinky a little over three weeks ago, so he’s still a ways away from returning. Strider, on the other hand, threw for the first time yesterday and didn’t experience any pain in his oblique, which is a substantial step in his recovery for the Braves.
Their availability for the postseason is up in the air, but Alex Anthopoulos provided more clarity to the situation in an interview following the Braves clinching the NL East last night.
As always with Anthopoulos, the entire interview is extremely insightful, but the final two minutes are dedicated to his thoughts about when Strider and Albies could return.
For Strider, the outlook is much brighter. They believe he could be ready for the start of the NLDS, but we will know a lot more very soon. Strider will likely have to throw off the mound without any pain, and if he passes that test, there’s a fantastic chance he’s penciled in to start Game 2 of the NLDS next Wednesday. Of course, if they think he could benefit from an extra couple of days of rest, they could wait to start him in Game 3 on Friday. It’s promising that Anthopoulos believes he could go, but there are still several more steps Strider must pass before he’s pitching in a live game again.
On the flip side, Anthopoulos essentially ruled out Ozzie Albies for the NLDS. He did say there’s a potential the Braves’ All-Star second baseman is available for the NLCS, but even that is an uncertainty. With the way Arcia has filled in so admirably, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ve seen the last of Albies this season.
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