“It’s a tough pill to swallow,” d’Arnaud said.

Earlier in the day, the Braves learned the worst possible news: Their ace, Strider, has damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He will be evaluated by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, within the next few days.

He could need Tommy John surgery.

“It’s devastating for us. It’s devastating for him,” d’Arnaud said. “It stings.”

As common as Tommy John procedures are nowadays, they are still sobering to accept. They are baseball’s grim reaper, ready to strike at any moment. No one is immune – not even Strider, who eats healthy (with a vegan diet) and cares for his body with precision.

The three letters you never want to see in an update about a pitching injury: UCL.

“You never want to hear of something like that,” Riley said. “For a guy that works so hard and is so honed in on his craft, he cares so much, you just kind of feel for him. He’s one of those guys that it’s unfortunate and you hate that it happened, but he’s somebody that’s gonna put in the time and the effort to get back to where he was. Feel for him more than anything.”

The Braves released their update on Strider at 4:20 p.m. on Saturday. Speaking in the clubhouse before that, Michael Harris II said he didn’t know all the details. “It’s tough to see someone like that go down,” he offered. After all, Harris and Strider came up together and finished first and second, respectively, in National League Rookie of the Year voting two seasons ago.

“Just hoping that he can be with us soon enough and (hoping for) a speedy recovery if there is something wrong,” Harris said. “He definitely means a lot to this team and I know he wants to be out there really bad.”