The Braves assigned Spencer Strider to Triple-A Gwinnett on a rehab stint this afternoon. The hard-throwing righty will pitch for the Stripers tomorrow in Charlotte. It’ll be his first regular season action at any level since he underwent an internal brace surgery to repair his UCL last April. Strider was able to make a pair of Spring Training appearances, where he combined for four innings. He struck out 10 of the 16 batters he faced.
Strider’s stuff is clearly sharp, but the Braves stuck to their plan to have him begin the season on the 15-day injured list. That’ll afford him a couple weeks to continue his build-up in the minors. Strider is first eligible to return on April 8. He’ll pitch at least twice in Gwinnett before the Braves decide whether to activate him. Grant Holmes and AJ Smith-Shawver are currently rounding out the rotation behind Chris Sale, Reynaldo López and Spencer Schwellenbach.
A couple other notable players are out on rehab stints of their own:
- The Orioles assigned Gunnar Henderson to Triple-A Norfolk tonight. Last year’s fourth-place MVP finisher took three at-bats and played seven innings at shortstop during his first game action in a month. Henderson suffered a right intercostal strain early in Spring Training. He didn’t appear in a game after February 27 and only made three exhibition appearances overall. That Henderson was able to play in the first game of Norfolk’s season confirms it’s likely to be a short-term absence for Baltimore’s superstar. Jorge Mateo and Ramón Urías are picking up the extra infield work alongside Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg and Ryan Mountcastle.
- Rockies starter Austin Gomber was shelved by shoulder soreness to begin the season. Colorado sent him to Triple-A Albuquerque to start their season opener this evening. Gomber tossed four innings of two-run ball with five strikeouts. He built up to 66 pitches. The Rox are opening with a four-man rotation because of off days built into their schedule during the first two turns. Kyle Freeland, Antonio Senzatela, Germán Márquez and Ryan Feltner could take every start until the second week of April — at which point there’s a good chance Gomber will be ready to rejoin the rotation.
Just wait til this Henderson get back predict maybe Os finally score some run
12 runs the 1st game wasn’t enough? lol
You sir are a moron
Strider looked pretty ready to go the 2 games he pitched in Spring Training…He should hit the ground running when he comes back.
The Braves might be testing Strider’s long-term viability as a reliever, even if they don’t say it outright.
What if anything is indicative of the Braves possibly doing such a thing?? You might as well also state the Falcons might consider hom being their punter next as season while you re making absolutely baseless speculations.
@Tigers3232
this isn’t baseless speculation—it’s recognizing a pattern teams have followed before. Strider is coming off an internal brace surgery, which raises long-term durability concerns. His rehab plan focuses on short outings rather than immediately building him up as a full-length starter. That’s often a sign a team is at least considering other roles.
The Braves already have five viable starters, and they’ve been aggressive in managing workload for pitchers coming off injuries. If Strider struggles with stamina or they want to maximize his effectiveness, shifting him to a high-leverage bullpen role—at least temporarily—wouldn’t be unprecedented. We’ve seen teams take this approach with hard-throwing arms post-injury (Chris Sale in 2018, Dustin May at times). Atlanta may not say it outright, but their handling of his return makes it a real possibility.
Chris Sale hasn’t pitched in relief since 2012. May hasn’t since his rookie season, but ok….