Spencer

Strider

Strider threw 41-of-60 pitches for strikes and reportedly topped out at 97.4 mph during the rehab appearance. The right-hander will assuredly make at least one more rehab outing, but then could be ready to join the Atlanta rotation. The fantasy upside for Strider is massive, and it should be on display in the majors relatively soon.

Strider was placed on the 15-day injured list, but looked outstanding in his Grapefruit League outings. The 26-year-old will likely make one or two rehab appearances before having a chance to join the Atlanta rotation before the end of April.

Strider looked phenomenal in a pair of late-spring Grapefruit League outings and will continue building up his pitch count and stamina in the minor leagues. The electrifying 26-year-old strikeout artist is expected to make his season debut at some point in mid-to-late April, barring an unexpected development. He’s a borderline top-30 starting pitcher for fantasy purposes in all remaining fantasy drafts this spring.

All four of Strider’s outs came via the K, but he did give up two hits, including a homer, and a walk. Strider, who is making his way back from elbow surgery, will be placed on the 15-day injured list this week and then make a few minor league starts to get stretched out. He should be back in the Braves rotation before the end of April.

Strider will reportedly throw between 45-50 pitches in that contest. The right-hander will not be a part of Atlanta’s rotation to begin the season, but Mark Bowman of MLB.com estimates he may need only a few more outings before he’s ready to go. Strider looked outstanding Monday, and fantasy managers are well aware what he’s capable of when healthy.

No Statcast today, but he topped out at 98 mph, according to the stadium gun. Statcast isn’t really required anyway when a guy is striking out three-quarters of the batters he sees. Strider, who had elbow surgery 11 months ago, should be back in the Atlanta rotation before the end of April. Judging by today, he might as well just be put there initially, even if it’s to throw only 3-4 innings. The Braves, though, plan to have him make a couple of minor league starts.

That sound you hear is Strider shooting up draft boards. The 26-year-old right-hander missed all of the 2024 season with an elbow injury that required an internal brace procedure. Strider reportedly threw 30 pitches in a bullpen session last week, so fantasy managers shouldn’t expect a lengthy outing. Initial timelines put Strider’s season debut sometime in late April, but he doesn’t seem that far away now that he’s pitching in spring training games.

Strider threw all of his pitches during the session Friday, and the results were impressive. The 26-year-old underwent surgery on his elbow back in May, and Atlanta is naturally taking things slowly with the right-hander to make sure he’s right for the majority of the 2025 season. Still, reports indicated Strider’s stuff was “nasty,” and he could be a late-round steal based on his stuff and previous success.

Strider’s latest throwing session came with hitters standing in the box, but not swinging, so technically it doesn’t count as a live batting practice session. It represents some incremental progression in his lengthy rehabilitation from last May’s elbow surgery as the dynamic 26-year-old figures to progress to facing hitters at some point in the coming weeks. The Braves aren’t releasing a specific timetable for Strider’s return, but speculative estimates from beat reporters estimate that he could make his season debut at some point in late April.

It’s not an official return timetable, but there should be some clarity from the Braves in the coming days. Bowman adds that Strider has been throwing bullpen sessions and might be allowed to make at least one Grapefruit League appearance during spring training, which puts him on track to return to Atlanta’s starting rotation by late April, barring any setbacks. The 26-year-old strikeout machine will require at least a few extra weeks to continue building up his stamina and pitch count before making his season debut, but it sounds like he isn’t facing a lengthy absence at the outset of the year, which is extremely encouraging from a fantasy standpoint. He’s currently being selected 139th overall, on average, in NFBC drafts and fantasy managers should expect that to rise in the coming weeks.