MLB News: Huge Strides For Spencer Strider On Comeback Trail for Braves

It was a tough blow for the Atlanta Braves and their young Cy Young candidate Spencer Strider when he blew out his elbow in just his second start of 2024. But Strider made some huge strides on Monday, as he made his first start of the spring on his long road back to the mound, and he was absolutely stellar.

Spencer Strider is BACK 🔥

FIVE straight strikeouts in his first #SpringTraining start of the year! pic.twitter.com/kpPtbeKoQv
— MLB (@MLB) March 17, 2025

Strider finished his first outing throwing 2⅔ perfect innings in the Braves' Grapefruit League game against the Boston Red Sox. He recorded five straight strikeouts and overall whiffed six of the eight batters he faced. He threw 23 of 27 pitches for strikes.

That's about as good of a first outing after Tommy John surgery as you can get.

Strider finished 4th in Cy Young balloting in 2023 while leading the majors with 20 wins and 281 strikeouts. But he was diagnosed with damage to his ulnar collateral ligament after his second start last April, and underwent the serious elbow procedure immediately. He's now on schedule to return in mid to late April, just 12 months out, the shortest time that any pitcher is expected to return from TJ surgery.

Strider's return will be an tremendous boon for the Braves rotation—certainly one of the league's best—as he joins Chris Sale, last year's Cy Young winner, along with Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Schwellenbach.

The Braves are also expecting the return of star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. sometime in May, after he also missed most of the 2024 season due to injury.