Braves Ian Anderson Deals in Fourth Rehab Start

Atlanta Braves starter Ian Anderson was nearly flawless on Saturday for the Augusta GreenJackets.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Ian Anderson had his best rehab appearance so far on Saturday. / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Braves starter Ian Anderson looked sharp in his latest rehab start. Anderson made his fourth rehab start overall and his second for the Single-A Augusta GreenJackets.

Before the game was postponed due to rain, Anderson tossed 3 1/3 innings allowing no hits, one walk and struck out five.  

The GreenJackets led 6-0 against the Columbia Fireflies heading into the rain delay. Since this was the final game of the series, the game will be made up on Tuesday, Aug. 27 as part of a doubleheader when the GreenJackets and the Fireflies face each other again. 

So, we’ll get a weird situation where Anderson pitches in a game being played well after his rehab assignment is over. 

Don’t see that very often. 

In four rehab starts, Anderson pitched 11 1/3 innings allowing just one run (0.79 ERA), striking out 12 batters and allowing just-four hits and two walks. He’s allowed no runs in two Single-A rehab starts. 

It stands to reason Anderson won't be in August much longer. He could move on to high Single-A Rome or possibly Gwinnett for his next assignment.

Anderson is rehabbing from Tommy John Surgery. He suffered a torn UCL back in April 2023. Anderson’s rehab can also be seen as him working his way back to the major leagues. 

His last regular season appearance for the Braves was on Aug. 12, 2022, in the second half of a doubleheader against the Miami Marlins. He was optioned to Gwinnett after that start. 

His last appearance in a Braves uniform was during the 2023 Spring Training season. 

In 52 career MLB starts, Anderson is 22-13 with a 3.97 ERA with 262 in 272 1/3 innings pitched. 

Anderson is best remembered as being one of the heroes of the Braves World Series run in 2021. In four postseason starts, he pitched 17 innings and finished with a 1.59 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and a .153 opponents average.