Braves To Activate Spencer Strider On Sunday
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.
Braves To Select JR Ritchie
The Braves are promoting pitching prospect JR Ritchie to start tomorrow afternoon’s game against the Nationals, reports Harrison Smajovits of Sports Illustrated. Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports that Didier Fuentes is being optioned back to Triple-A Gwinnett in the corresponding transaction. Atlanta will also promote Carlos Carrasco to work in long relief.
Fuentes was just recalled this morning. He started this evening but labored over three innings, allowing seven hits and a walk. Fuentes’ inefficiency forced the Braves to bring in Martín Pérez for long relief. The veteran southpaw tossed three innings of two-run ball, which obviously took him out of consideration to start tomorrow’s ballgame.
Atlanta needed a spot starter for the finale of their four-game set in Washington. Long relievers José Suarez and Dylan Dodd each pitched on Tuesday, and Dodd is reportedly going on the injured list. A bullpen game would have been a lot to ask. Reynaldo López only completed one inning last night, so every Braves reliever has pitched within the past two days.
Ritchie was the logical candidate to take the ball. The 2022 supplemental first-round draftee has been Gwinnett’s best pitcher in the early going. Ritchie has only given up three runs through his first 27 1/3 innings while striking out 26.2% of opposing hitters. He has tiptoed around erratic command, as he’s walked 13 batters and plunked four more.
Although the 22-year-old isn’t a finished product, he’s likely to be up and down throughout the season as a key rotation depth piece. Baseball America ranks Ritchie as the #2 prospect in the Atlanta system, crediting him with a deep arsenal and a chance to be a #4 starter. Ritchie has been in the 93-94 mph range with his four-seam fastball and sinker this season. He throws four distinct offspeed pitches — a changeup, cutter, slider and curveball.
It’s past the point at which Ritchie can reach a full year of service time in 2026. He was on the preseason Top 100 lists at each of BA, MLB Pipeline and ESPN. He therefore meets the threshold for the Prospect Promotion Incentive and could “earn” a service year if he finishes top two in Rookie of the Year balloting. The Braves would not receive an extra draft choice in that scenario because he wasn’t on the MLB roster for 172+ days.
There’s a decent chance this is a one-off appearance regardless. Ritchie will be the only healthy, optionable pitcher on their active roster aside from top setup man Dylan Lee. Atlanta has an off day on Monday. The Braves could option Ritchie after tomorrow’s appearance to get an extra bullpen arm up for their weekend series against the Phillies. Pérez would be ready to start in the middle of next week. Spencer Strider probably only needs one more rehab outing before he returns to the rotation.