Spencer Strider is back. That is good news for the Atlanta Braves.
The bad news, at least for Strider, is that he may need to ease his way back into MLB play.
He has been out of the big leagues for 376 days while recovering from a UCL injury in his right elbow. Strider got the start against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon at Rogers Centre, and the Braves were undoubtedly pleased to have him back.
He did struggle, however, particularly with his command. Strider allowed five hits and two earned runs over five innings of pitching. He did strike out five batters, which is good, but he also walked one and hit another, and only 58 of his 97 pitches were strikes.
After the contest, Strider felt he could pinpoint where he was struggling, which is the first step toward improvement.
“For me, didn’t do a good job of executing with two strikes,” Strider said, according to the AP via ESPN . “Felt like my off-speed [pitches] didn’t have a lot of conviction, a lot of consistency. That makes it hard to pitch.”
He wasn’t necessarily pleased with his outing. Sure, he was playing for the first time in more than a year, which is significant, but he isn’t looking for participation trophies for simply showing up.
“My job isn’t to come back and have a moment and all that,” he told me. “That’s not how I see it. I’m here to help the team.
Strider has been in the major leagues since 2021. He has a career ERA of 3.47 and a WHIP of 1.07. He was an All-Star and Cy Young candidate in 2023, finishing with a 20-5 record, 3.86 ERA, and 281 strikeouts.
