Breaking: Atlanta Braves Facing Early Season Challenge as Key All-Stars Still on Recovery

The end of any baseball season that doesn’t conclude with a World Series title is disappointing when a club has championship expectations in spring training. But for the Atlanta Braves, the organization and its fans have to be excited about turning the page to 2025.

The hope is that the new calendar year will bring a lot more health to the Braves roster than it did during 2024.

But two injuries the Braves roster sustained this year to All-Stars Ronald Acuña Jr. and Spencer Strider are going to linger into 2025. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman wrote Thursday that “it wouldn’t surprise” him if both players didn’t play during April next year.

Even after the first month of the 2025 regular season, the Braves could feel the impact of those 2024 injuries.

“With both of Acuña’s anterior cruciate ligaments now surgically repaired, we may never see another 40-40 season from him,” Bowman wrote. “But even if his knees limit his speed, he should still be quite capable of remaining elite with both his arm and tremendous power.

“As for Strider, the hope is he’ll return from an ulnar collateral brace procedure and prove he is still the game’s most exciting pitcher. Remember when it seemed like Strider might be best used as a reliever? Remember when he was expected to fatigue during his rookie season? Yeah, his return brings some uncertainty. But I’ve become certain that this young hurler is fueled by the chance to prove his critics wrong.”

Tommy John surgeries cast doubt on every pitcher’s career. But obviously, the procedure has become a lot more common in today’s game Strider could be back at full strength by the middle of next season.

Before the injury, Strider had the potential to compete for Cy Young awards. In 2023, he made the All-Star team with a league-high 20 victories and 281 strikeouts. He finished fourth in Cy Young voting.

He also posted a 3.86 ERA and 1.093 WHIP over 186.2 innings during 2023.

Acuña’s recovery is more complicated. He became the NL MVP in 2023 because of his unique combination of tremendous speed and power.

He stole 73 bases in 2023 two years after his first ACL surgery. But after a second ACL tear, he may never be the same, and the Braves may never allow him to run that freely on the bases, in the hopes of him avoiding another serious injury.

Even if he does eventually return to full strength, it might not be in 2025. Acuña had 29 steals during 2022, the season after his first ACL tear.

But Acuña can still be an All-Star player because of his ability to hit for power and contact. Furthermore, even if he has more limited speed, he’s projected to return as a better defender than Jorge Soler, who is the other right fielder the Braves have under contract for 2025.

So, as much as the Braves and their fans should temper their expectations for Strider and Acuña early in 2025, there is hope the two will return to All-Star form by next year’s postseason.