Braves pitcher Ian Anderson is back on a mound.
Anderson, who underwent Tommy John surgery in April of 2023, pitched two innings for the Florida Complex League Braves Tuesday.
Anderson faced six batters in two hitless innings and had four strikeouts. He did not walk any batters as the Braves played the Pirates.
Anderson’s fastball registered at 92-95 mph throughout the outing. He has been building up his arm at the complex in North Port, Fla., where the game was played.
In February, Anderson was asked by the AJC’s Justin Toscano when he might pitch for the Braves again.
“I don’t want to put like a strict date on it because that just puts some expectations out there,” Anderson said. “But hopefully sometime middle of the summer I’m back (on the mound) and then pitching in games, and one thing leads to another.”
The Braves selected Anderson with the third overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft. He debuted in 2020, and eventually pitched to a 1.26 ERA over 35-2/3 innings across eight postseason starts between 2020 and 2021. In Game 3 of the 2021 World Series, he hurled five scoreless innings against Houston.
As he battled for a rotation spot during spring training in 2023, Anderson said he fought through elbow pain.
