Spencer Strider, who led the major leagues in wins and strikeouts last season, is likely to be lost to the Atlanta Braves for many months.

The 25-year-old right-hander was diagnosed Saturday with UCL damage – often a precursor to Tommy John elbow surgery.

Strider, who got a no-decision when he pitched the Opening Day game for Atlanta March 28, left after four innings of the Atlanta home opener Friday, complaining of elbow pain after giving up five earned runs against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

An MRI Saturday revealed damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, according to the team.

The pitcher’s treatment will be determined after consultation with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister.

The hard-throwing Strider had previous elbow surgery in 2019 during his college tenure at Clemson University. A year later, he was taken by Atlanta in the fourth round of the amateur draft.

Strider is in the second season of a six-year, $75 million contract extension that includes a $5 million buyout for 2029. He would have qualified for free agency after the 2027 campaign.

His contract is the only one longer than three years on the Atlanta pitching staff as the team tries to hedge its bets against paying pitchers who are unable to play.

Two former Braves currently with the club’s Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers are recuperating from elbow surgery but could rejoin the rotation before mid-season. In addition to Ian Anderson, a past post-season hero for the Braves, and Huascar Ynoa, who has shown flashes of brilliance in the big leagues, Atlanta already activated left-handed reliever Tyler Matzek, who missed all of 2023 after his own elbow surgery.

Although Strider’s treatment has yet to be determined, a decision to perform a second Tommy John surgery would almost certainly keep him sidelined well into the 2025 campaign.

A less severe regimen would be rehab without surgery, which would allow Strider to return this year, or an internal brace procedure such as the one Red Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito had in March. He will miss the whole season, however.

While losing Strider hurts the Braves, who are seeking their seventh straight National League East title, the team has numerous potential replacements.

Bryce Elder, a 2023 National League All-Star, pitched the Opening Day game at Gwinnett and could be the first man up. Also in the mix are AJ Smith-Shawver, up briefly at age 20 last year, and Dylan Dodd, a left-hander who opened in Atlanta last season.

Atlanta might also consider free-agent Trevor Bauer, a controversial former Cy Young Award winner who has pitched well in Japan while trying to earn his way back to the majors. Bauer says he’ll sign a contract for the $740,000 minimum if it also contains incentives.

After a nine-month investigation for sexual misconduct, Bauer served a suspension of 194 games, the longest ever given by Major League Baseball for such behavior. For a team that prides itself on clubhouse chemistry, adding Bauer might be risky.

No matter what they decide, trying to replace Strider will be next to impossible. He had a 3.36 earned run average over the last two seasons and struck out 37.4 per cent of all batters faced.

This spring, Strider unveiled a sharp-breaking curveball that baffled enemy batters so well that they hardly scored against him during the exhibition game schedule.

Even limited to his previous fastball/slider regimen, Strider went 20-5 with 281 strikeouts in 186 2/3 innings last year and leading the majors with 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings. He also has an 8-0 lifetime record against the Phillies, the primary challenger to the Braves in the NL East.

The Columbus, OH native finished fourth in the 2023 voting for the National League’s Cy Young Award and was widely considered the favorite for this year’s award.

With Strider down, the Braves will bank more heavily on remaining starters Max Fried, Chris Sale, Charlie Morton, and Reynaldo Lopez. Fried and Sale throw left-handed.

In addition to the veteran rotation, the Braves boast a bombastic batting order that produced 307 home runs, tying a major-league record, last year. If the team continues to score more runs than it allows, Atlanta should reach post-season play again.

The Braves last won a pennant in 2021, when it also won its second world championship since moving to Atlanta.