Acuña, Strider won't be ready by Opening Day
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After battling through injuries for much of the 2024 season, the Braves are already preparing to begin the '25 campaign shorthanded.
President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos told reporters on Tuesday at the General Managers Meetings that neither Ronald Acuña Jr. nor Spencer Strider will be ready by Opening Day.
"With both guys, I don't think it's significant time, but I think we're confident that Opening Day is not realistic for them," Anthopoulos said. "I think, look, once we get to spring, you get to the beginning of February, you'll have a much better idea on timelines. We're planning that they will not be part of the Opening Day roster, and how soon after that, we'll know more as we get deeper into the offseason."
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Acuña is still recovering from left knee surgery to repair a torn ACL he sustained on May 26 in Pittsburgh. He was limited to just 49 games last season after leading the Majors in hits (217), runs (149), stolen bases (73) and on-base percentage (.416) on his way to winning the 2023 NL MVP Award. He also became the first player in AL/NL history with a 40-70 season.
As for Strider, the right-hander was limited to just two starts last season before undergoing right elbow surgery in April. That came on the heels of finishing fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting in 2023, when he went 20-5 with a 3.86 ERA and led the Majors with 281 strikeouts.