Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider will miss the rest of the season after having surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, the team said Saturday.

Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, performed the procedure on Friday, using an internal brace to repair the UCL. Strider avoided Tommy John surgery, which he had in 2019 while at Clemson.

Recovery from the internal brace surgery, which uses an artificial material to make the repair, has allowed pitchers to return to the majors in as few as nine months. Tommy John surgery, which uses a tendon from elsewhere in the body to replace the torn ligament, has a typical rehab period of 12 to 18 months.

Strider complained about discomfort in his elbow after pitching four innings in Atlanta’s 6-5 win over Arizona on April 5. An MRI the next day revealed damage to his UCL, and the Braves prepared for the worst.

“You never expect these things to be good or just a blip on the screen,” manager Brian Snitker said last week.

Strider was 20-5 in 2023, leading the majors in wins and strikeouts (281). The right-hander had a 3.86 ERA last season.

He had a 7.00 ERA with 12 strikeouts in two starts this year.

Briefly

>> Texas Rangers reliever Brock Burke broke his non-throwing hand while punching a wall following a poor outing Friday night against the Houston Astros. Manager Bochy said Burke, who is a left-hander, broke his right hand when he punched the wall “out of frustration” and was placed on the injured list Saturday.

>> Healthy again, Nick Lodolo looked quite comfortable in his return to the major leagues. Lodolo struck out 10 while pitching 5 2/3 scoreless innings for the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday against the Chicago White Sox.

>> Colorado manager Bud Black said he doesn’t expect outfielder Kris Bryant to miss significant time after the former NL MVP left Saturday’s game at Toronto in the fourth inning because of soreness in his right ribs and back.