Atlanta Braves' Spencer Strider Dominates in Return to Mound After Tommy John Surgery

After undergoing the InternalBracing procedure last season, the Braves ace is looking at a mid-April return to the rotation.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider (99) in action against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in 2024. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Update: Strider went out for a portion of the third inning, and registered another strikeout.

Spencer Strider's day is done
27 pitches
23 strikes
8 hitters
1 fair ball (on the first pitch he threw)
6 strikeouts
Threw 0 pitches while behind in the count

Ridiculous

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) March 17, 2025

Update: Strider struck out the side in the second inning, further strengthening his outing.

Five straight strikeouts for #Braves Spencer Strider in his first outing of the spring as he fanned the side in the second.

Is that good?

Asking for a friend. pic.twitter.com/Y1Vz0owAQf

— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) March 17, 2025

Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider dominated in his first Grapefruit League action of the season on Monday. It was his first game action since last April, as he underwent InternalBrace surgery after just two appearances in 2024.

According to Jayson Stark of The Athletic, Strider needed only seven pitches to carve up the Boston Red Sox. All seven pitches were strikes and he registered two strikeouts.

Some guys take a while to ease themselves back after surgery.

Then there's Spencer Strider.

In his first inning back on the mound:
7 pitches
7 strikes
2 strikeouts
whiffs on 3 different pitches

OK then

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) March 17, 2025

Strider is set to begin the year on the injured list, but given how fast he's progressing now, it wouldn't be shocking to see him return to the starting rotation in mid-April or so. Chris Sale will start Opening Day in his place.

An All-Star in 2023, Strider is 32-10 lifetime with a 3.47 ERA. One of the best strikeout artists in the game, he's fanned 495 batters in 329.2 career innings. When he comes back, he'll pair with Sale to make one of the top duos in baseball, but it's possible that Strider could be on an innings limit as he works back into the season.

The hard-throwing right-hander helped the Braves get to the playoffs in both 2022 and 2023. He had a 2.84 ERA in two postseason starts back in 2023 as the Braves lost to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Braves advanced to the playoffs again last season, but were beaten by the San Diego Padres in the wild card round.

With Strider and Ronald Acuna Jr. coming back from injury, the Braves have as good a chance as anyone to unseat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League.

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