The Braves will reinstate Spencer Strider from the 15-day injured list on Sunday, manager Walt Weiss told reporters before tonight’s walk-off win over Detroit (link via Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). He’ll make his season debut in the close of a weekend set at Coors Field.
Strider has missed the first month of the season after straining his oblique during Spring Training. He has taken the ball three times on a rehab stint, building to five innings and 82 pitches at Triple-A Gwinnett. Strider’s stuff has looked sharp, as he’s averaging 95.5 mph on his fastball and sitting at 84 with the slider. It’s not the upper-90s heat he brandished before undergoing elbow surgery in April 2024, but it’s a match for last year’s velocity.
Atlanta’s rotation has excelled despite the spring injuries to Strider, Hurston Waldrep, Spencer Schwellenbach and Joey Wentz — to say nothing of AJ Smith-Shawver’s 2025 UCL surgery. Bryce Elder has solidified his hold on a rotation spot. Grant Holmes and Martín Pérez have worked around middling strikeout and walk numbers to manage good results. The Braves have also gotten looks at rookies Didier Fuentes and JR Ritchie. They’re positioned well enough to push Reynaldo López to the bullpen for the time being.
Ritchie held a hot Nationals lineup to two runs over seven innings in his debut last week. He fought his command a bit tonight but managed 5 2/3 frames of three-run ball against Detroit. Weiss said postgame he expects Ritchie to take another turn through the rotation (relayed by Mark Bowman of MLB.com). That’ll come early next week at T-Mobile Park, a nice moment for the Seattle native.
That could allow the Braves to use Pérez out of the bullpen. Elder goes tomorrow afternoon as they try to sweep the Tigers. Although the Braves haven’t announced plans for the first two games of the Colorado series, they’d have Holmes and Chris Sale lined up on extra rest after Monday’s off day.
Strider is just one of a handful of key players nearing their returns from injury. Weiss said this evening that closer Raisel Iglesias is not expected to require a rehab assignment (via Bowman). He could return directly to the MLB bullpen when first eligible on Tuesday after a minor bout of shoulder inflammation. That’ll move Robert Suarez back into a setup role.
Sean Murphy has been on a rehab stint since April 14. Those can last up to 20 days for position players, so he’ll be back by Monday at the latest barring a setback. Ha-Seong Kim opened his own 20-day rehab window tonight with an appearance at Double-A Columbus. He played five innings at shortstop and collected a single in two at-bats.
Mauricio Dubón has done a nice job as a fill-in shortstop in Kim’s absence. Dubón has carved out a strong career as a utility player and should move back into a multi-position role in the middle of May. The Braves don’t tend to play matchups very often, yet they’ll presumably ease Kim back into action. Dubón could also take some work in left field, where Mike Yastrzemski is one of the few Atlanta players who hasn’t gotten out to a strong start.
I’d expect Dubon to take the place of Profar as Yaz’s platoon partner in LF vs. LHP at the very least. TBH, Riley may need a day off.
But seriously, Albies turns into Shohei vs. LHP. Tonight: Skubal.
Wow, I’m sure it’s happened but it’s a bit rough to come off the IL and start at Coors Field.