Veteran left-handed reliever Matt Strahm underwent successful right knee surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2026 season, sources say. He’s expected to be 100 percent for the 2027 season.
Strahm, 34, pulled out of the World Baseball Classic because of the right knee ailment and pitched all season with the injury knowing that he needed surgery. After being designated for assignment and released by the Kansas City Royals, Strahm weighed offers to continue pitching this season but ultimately decided to undergo surgery to be fully healthy for next season, sources say.
Matt Strahm hopes to be fully healthy for the 2027 season
The Royals acquired Strahm in the offseason in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for right-hander Jonathan Bowden. They loved Strahm and were familiar with him from a previous stint in Kansas City and viewed him as someone who could bolster the late innings. Instead, the injury clearly limited him. He posted a career-high 7.32 ERA in 41 appearances. He posted a career-low 18.6 percent strikeout rate. His fastball velocity also dipped to 91.2 mph, down from last season’s 92.2 mph.
When healthy, Strahm has proven to be a difference-maker in the late innings, and established himself as one of the most dependable left-handed options in Philadelphia. In his first season in 2023, he posted a 3.29 ERA in 56 appearances. In 2024, he made his first All-Star appearance and finished the season with a 1.87 ERA in 66 appearances. In 2025, he posted a 2.74 ERA in 66 appearances.
In his 11-year career, which has included stints with the Royals, Phillies, San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox, Strahm has posted a 3.61 ERA and a 612/164 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He features a five-pitch mix, according to Baseball Savant, with his four-seamer being his most used pitch (38.9 percent) while also throwing a slider, sinker, changeup and cutter.
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