Strider (oblique) expected to make season debut Sunday vs. Rockies

ATLANTA -- Braves manager Walt Weiss said Spencer Strider is currently slated to make his season debut against the Rockies on Sunday at Coors Field.

“Things can change as we’ve seen the first few weeks here, but that’s the plan,” Weiss said Wednesday afternoon.

The Braves entered Wednesday with a MLB-best 3.09 ERA. As for their injury-depleted rotation, it ranked third with a 3.02 ERA. So, there is definitely reason to be excited about how much better this effective group can be with the addition of Strider, who led the Majors with 483 strikeouts from 2022-23.

Strider has spent the past month recovering from a left oblique muscle strain he felt after pitching in a Minor League Spring Training game on March 17. The 2023 All-Star made his third and final rehab start on Sunday for Triple-A Gwinnett.

• Kim takes next step to return with rehab assignment in Double-A

“It’s been a nice path back for him,” Weiss said.

Strider got back into the swing of things when he made his first rehab start for High-A Rome on April 16. He then created excitement as he looked like his former dominant self while recording 15 strikeouts over 9 1/3 innings in his final two rehab starts for Triple-A Gwinnett.

Strider’s four-seamer touched 96.9 mph and averaged 95.2 mph during his final rehab start on Sunday. This same pitch touched 98.1 mph and averaged 95.9 mph during his April 21 start. The slight drop was likely a product of building endurance. He threw an additional 17 pitches in Sunday’s 82-pitch effort.

Another encouraging sign was Strider’s induced vertical break on his four-seam fastball, which averaged 17 inches. It was over 18 inches on Tuesday. That’s closer to where it was before he underwent a second major elbow surgery in 2024.

When Strider struggled while returning last year, his IVB on his four-seam fastball averaged 16.4 inches, while he averaged 17.7 inches in 2022 and 18.4 in 2023. This metric measures a fastball’s late life.