Spencer Strider shines in latest rehab outing

The Braves, already holding an early advantage atop their division, have in-season reinforcements on the way. And the two nearest to returning are currently stationed in Triple-A Gwinnett.

Starting pitcher Spencer Strider (oblique strain) and catcher Sean Murphy (hip surgery) continued their rehab assignments in Lawrenceville on Tuesday. Strider was excellent in his second rehab outing, striking out eight Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp hitters over 4-1/3 innings.

Strider’s velocity hovered in the 96-98 mph range. He surrendered one hit – a single that came 90.3 mph off the bat (which turned out to be the only hit of the game as Gwinnett won 2-0 without recording one) – and he issued one six-pitch walk. He’d tried to get Kemp Alderman to chase a slider down and away on a 3-2 count.

He threw 65 pitches, a 15-pitch increase from his first rehab outing in High-A Rome.

“With these, it’s just about trying to get deep into games, so I’m just trying to be efficient and throw strikes,” Strider said. “Having Sean is definitely a luxury for this. As well as he knows me and as many times as he’s caught me, he’s certainly capable of saying, ‘Hey, let’s just get deep in the game.’ I just let him worry about that and I’ll execute from there.”

He added: “I think I found some feel for some pitches and my mechanics that I haven’t felt in a long time over these last two outings. Maybe that’s the silver lining of this injury, the time it’s afforded me to just take what I’d done in spring and refine some things. Hopefully it sets me up to be of use to the team for the rest of the season.”

Strider showed off his arsenal. His slider was especially crisp, inducing 10 whiffs on 15 swings (“definitely was a point of emphasis,” he said). His fastball got four whiffs. He looked like his usual overpowering self at points and gained steam as the night continued.

Strider will cross the 80-pitch mark in his next start this weekend and he and the Braves will evaluate his readiness from there.

“I can’t give anything too definitive; I don’t know exactly what the plan is,” Strider said. “I just know that obviously it wasn’t a full-go (Tuesday). I think they want me, for obvious reasons, to be capable of going 100 pitches-plus confidently. Just presents a lot of risks to the team when you can’t give a full start. So that’s part of the process and I’m going to try to follow their lead on that one.”

The Braves’ rotation was a source of concern entering the season. It’s been stable to begin the year, though it carries the same injury risk. Strider, he of consecutive 200-strikeout campaigns in 2022-23, should be a massive boost. He’s an ace-level starter when at his best.

But Strider spent much of 2025 working his way back after undergoing surgery for a damaged right ulnar collateral ligament in April 2024. He had a 4.45 ERA in 23 starts last season, acknowledging the offseason would give him time to make the necessary adjustments as he worked his way back to complete form.

Strider’s 2026 season has been delayed by an oblique strain that necessitated he begin the year on the injured list. His latest results were extremely encouraging; Strider is not only nearing a return, but he’s providing indications he could come back looking like a front-line starter again.

“I thought he looked great,” Murphy said. “I thought he was doing what he wanted to do with the baseball tonight. His mix was good. He was doing pretty much everything you wanted with the off-speed stuff.”

Murphy, meanwhile, went 0-for-3. He’s 0-for-12 on his rehab stint overall, including his time in Rome, but those results don’t mean much. He caught six innings Tuesday and has felt comfortable as the workload increases.

Murphy underwent hip surgery last September to address a labral tear. He was initially projected to return in May, but Murphy wound up ahead of that timetable and could rejoin the team before month’s end.

“I feel good,” Murphy said. “We’re just building up the volume.”

Both players are ecstatic about the Braves’ early season success. The team had the largest division lead in the majors entering Tuesday. The Braves’ 16 wins were tied with the Dodgers for most in MLB. “It’s been awesome,” Murphy said. “I’ve been watching every night. They look great.”