Cause of Ian Anderson’s recent troubles may have been revealed

I don’t think the elbow injury is the only cause of Anderson’s struggles, but it could help explain some of the issues in his first start.

Anderson is a two-pitch pitcher, but we’ve seen him dominate in the postseason. He was a critical piece for the Braves during their 2021 World Series run, tossing five shutout innings against the Astros in Game 3. However, he’s just lost right now, and this injury isn’t going to help.

As Mike Soroka, Kyle Wright, and Max Fried get healthy — Anderson will be buried even further on the depth chart when it comes to Atlanta’s future plans. As of this writing, Bryce Elder is having a great start against the Cardinals. Dylan Dodd was impressive against St. Louis in his debut. Ian Anderson was a guy who could have been penciled in the Braves rotation for the next six years, but this injury could spell even more trouble for his future with the organization.