"I feel good about my chances to give us a chance to win if I’m out there,”said Spencer Strider on Sunday. The next day, Atlanta agreed... mostly. Strider is scheduled to throw a simulated game on Wednesday, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, to basically test if Strider is ready to re-take the mound after missing about a month with a hamstring injury he suffered on April 16th.
Strider will reportedly throw 70-75 pitches; if everything looks good, he could be on the bump for Atlanta next week versus the Nationals. This is the final test Strider needs to pass to finally get back on the mound after throwing a 40-pitch side session this past weekend.
After battling back from elbow surgery, Strider finally got back on the field for Atlanta last month... and then pulled his hamstring. That has to be the most frustrating feeling in the world. Battle back from a serious ailment only to get hurt with the most irritating injury in the world.
Strider is one of the most electrifying pitchers in baseball. His presence has been missed for the past year, from both a casual baseball fan's perspective and a diehard Braves fan's perspective. Atlanta is scuffling around .500 right now in large part because its best pitcher and best hitter Ronald Acuña Jr. have both been out for the past calendar year. Acuña Jr. is starting a rehab assignment this week, so it's positive news for both stars.
Strider hopes to finally avoid inury setbacks
Strider's hamstring injury occurred in his first start in over a year; in April 2024, Strider underwent elbow surgery to repair a bone fragment in his elbow. It was not Tommy John surgery, which Strider underwent way back in 2019.
When he's been on the field, Strider's excellence has been obvious. His career WHIP is 1.07, and he has 500 strikeouts in 334 innings pitched. He won 20 games in 2023, his last full season, leading MLB with 281 strikeouts.
If Strider can immediately find that form again, it would obviously be a dream result for Atlanta. If he can even come back and look like a good starting pitcher in his first few starts, that would still feel like a win.