Strider set to pitch in first game since UCL surgery
Mark Bowman
@mlbbowmanNORTH PORT, Fla. -- Spencer Strider will pitch in a big league game for the first time in nearly a year when he starts against the Red Sox on Monday at CoolToday Park.
Strider will be starting for the first time since an internal brace was inserted in his right elbow to repair his damaged ulnar collateral ligament last April. This new procedure allows pitchers to return nine to 12 months after surgery, as opposed to the 18 months suggested after Tommy John surgery.
The Braves haven¡¯t said when Strider will rejoin Atlanta¡¯s rotation. But with this start date, if he remains on schedule, he could make his regular-season debut during the second half of April. He will likely make at least five starts, through a combination of spring games and Minor League rehab games, before being activated.
Strider will aim to re-establish himself as one of baseball¡¯s most exciting stars. He led MLB with 483 strikeouts from 2022-23. Yankees ace Gerrit Cole ranked second with the 479 strikeouts he tallied in 91 1/3 more innings.