Braves will not release an injury report on their ace pitcher until…

Atlanta Braves ace pitcher Spencer Strider met with Dr. Keith Meister on Monday, but the team would not provide an update on his status until the weekend.

Even worse, Braves manager Brian Snitker stated on Tuesday that the discussion with Meister did not eliminate the likelihood of Tommy John surgery.

Snit said the Braves won’t release any Strider info until this weekend. But Snit yesterday’s visit with Dr. Meister didn’t erase the possibility of Tommy John surgery. Braves might be waiting for the surgery to be completed before providing an update.

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 9, 2024

#Braves won’t have an update on Strider until this weekend. He met with Dr. Keith Meister in the Dallas area Tuesday and they’re going over timeline for treatment and, presumably, surgery, though that’s not been made official.

— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) April 9, 2024

Strider is one of the league’s finest pitchers, and he leads one of baseball’s best teams. But after his last start, he complained of elbow trouble and was promptly transported to Texas to meet with Meister.

The fact that the Braves are waiting until the weekend to make a declaration, and that surgery has not been ruled out following the meeting, does not indicate that Strider will be on the mound anytime soon. If the news was positive, the Braves would be excited to share it.

If he needs surgery — or if he has already had surgery and the Braves are just waiting to announce it — the Braves will have an almost insurmountable hole to fill.

Their rotation is strong, and their lineup is capable of scoring enough runs to keep them in contention, but Strider is among the league’s best pitchers. They are a much better squad when he takes the mound every fifth day.