Spencer Strider will rejoin the Atlanta Braves’ starting rotation during the team’s three-game series versus the Washington Nationals, which begins Tuesday. The team announced on Monday that he has been activated from the injured list and is scheduled to start the series opener, according to The Athletic’s David O’Brien.
Strider, 26, is returning from a strained right hamstring sustained while throwing catch in mid-April. The right-hander had just returned from the injured list following his recovery from surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow a year ago. (Strider underwent an internal brace procedure, not reconstructive Tommy John surgery, which he had in 2019 while pitching at Clemson.)
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In his first (and only) start this season, Strider pitched five innings and allowed two runs on five hits with five strikeouts versus the Toronto Blue Jays.
“I feel good about where I’m at,” Strider said last week, via MLB.com. “I need to pitch. I’d pitch every day if I could. I have thrown in one big league game in over a year now, so definitely a lot of things to work on.”
“I need the reps, I need the practice and I need to move at full speed — get guys out and work on my stuff,” he added. “I’d like to be able to get in some games and get that moving.”
Strider threw a simulated game last week, after which the next step was to send the pitcher on a minor league rehab assignment or activate him based on the results.
The Braves are getting Strider back while they’re still in contention in the National League East and for a wild-card playoff berth. Going into Monday’s MLB slate, Atlanta is in third place, five games behind the New York Mets at 24-23. The team is also four games out of the third NL wild-card bid, behind the St. Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Following the series with the Nationals, Atlanta hosts the San Diego Padres for three games before visiting the Philadelphia Phillies next week for a division clash.