Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider made his much-anticipated return to the mound on Monday, and he turned in a dominating three innings against the Boston Red Sox in spring-training play.
Coming off a 2024 season in which a UCL sprain cost him all but two starts, Strider on Monday was seeing his first game action since April 5 of last year. In 2 ⅔ innings against Boston, Strider notched six strikeouts against no walks, allowed no runs on no hits, and flashed his customary elite fastball velocity. Here’s a look:
Yes, it’s a Grapefruit League start against a lineup mostly populated by minor-leaguers, but it was overall a deeply encouraging return for Strider. Strider and the Braves opted for an internal-brace repair to his UCL rather than the full Tommy John surgery, which allows for a quicker recovery and return. However, Strider and the Braves took the prudent approach this spring, perhaps because he previously underwent Tommy John surgery while in college at Clemson. The hope is that Strider will get built up and be able to rejoin the Atlanta rotation by late April or early May. Monday’s performance certainly made that look like an attainable goal, though setbacks are always possible.
Once he does return, Strider will be looking to return to his spot among the most dominant starting pitchers in baseball. Across the combined 2022-23 seasons, Strider pitched to a sparkling 2.43 FIP over 318 ⅓ innings and struck out 37.4% of opposing batters — the latter a sky-scraping figure for a starting pitcher. In his last healthy season of 2023, he finished fourth in the National League Cy Young vote and earned his first All-Star selection. At age 26, Strider should resume dominating once the Braves decide he’s ready for a full return.
In what figures to be a tough NL East race against the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, the Braves need vintage Strider for the bulk of the season in 2025. Reigning NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale returns at the front end of the Atlanta rotation, but he’ll always be a healthy and durability risk. The same to some extent applies to Reynaldo López. As well, co-ace Max Fried departed to the New York Yankees via free agency, and veteran stalwart Charlie Morton took to market and inked with the Baltimore Orioles. Obviously, Strider’s frontline excellence is needed but so is the depth he’ll provide. Add it all up, and he’s one of the most important “comeback” players of 2025, and his first action of spring suggests he’s ready to meet all those expectations.
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