Spencer Strider to Make Triumphant Season Debut

Spencer Strider is back! The Atlanta Braves ace, just over a year after surgery to address elbow problems, looks to make his mark against the Toronto Blue Jays. The game, with the first pitch at 1:07 pm ET, is MLB.TV’s Free Game of the Day. The strikeout king is ready to prove he still has it, and the Braves need his arm. Bad.

Keys To Strider’s Return

Strider has had a long road back from internal brace elbow surgery that kept him out for the 2024 season. He has pitched three rehab games for Triple-A Gwinnett and has shown promise that he is ready to be back in the Majors. In 13.2 innings, he has struck out 27 batters. While these numbers are impressive, remember the Majors are a massive step forward.

When he was dealing he was unhittable and one of, if not the, best pitchers in the league. From 2022-23, he amassed 483 strikeouts, the most in the league. In 2023, he whiffed 281 batters, the most by a pitcher in the previous five years. But can he return to that prestigious form?

Strider’s velocity isn’t fully back yet, but he is recovering from his second major elbow surgery of his career, so it’s not surprising. He’s averaged 95.7 mph on the four-seamer in Triple-A, which is a tick down from the 96 / 97 mph from 2023 and 2024. What makes his fastball most nasty is the rising action. That makes it a premier swing-and-miss pitch at the top of the zone.

Matching the heater, he has a devastating slider. It’s a gut punch of a combo that keeps hitters guessing. In his last healthy season, in 2023, he had 139 strikeouts by the pitch, the most by any pitcher on any pitch type that year. He has been mowing down batters with these two pitches in the minors, and hopefully, it will fool Major League hitters as well.

The Braves are Desperate

The Braves are dead last in the National League East at 5-12. Something nobody saw coming this year. After starting the season 0-7, they have a tremendous road if they want to even think about making the playoffs. No team has ever started the season 0-7 and made the playoffs. Hopefully, with the new Wild Card format they have a bit better chance to sneak in.