Atlanta Braves right-hander Bryce Elder took advantage of a recent new rule in Spring Training to bounce back in his second outing of this spring.
Elder initially didn’t make it through the second inning of his first spring start on Feb. 27. He yielded two earned runs on four hits and a walk in 1.2 innings versus the Washington Nationals.
But after getting pulled with two outs in the second frame, Elder returned in the third. He recorded a 1-2-3 third, which included two straight strikeouts to begin the inning.
Elder is back out to start the third inning after exiting with two out in the second. As you probably know, that’s a thing in spring training in recent years. https://t.co/tSKEoHGgiW
— David O’Brien (@DOBrienATL) February 27, 2025
This was Elder’s second outing of Spring Training. He pitched two scoreless innings versus the Minnesota Twins on Feb. 22. Elder allowed just one hit and struck out two in that outing, which was a relief appearance.
Elder has pounded the strike zone early this spring. He threw 19 strikes out of 31 pitches in his Spring Training debut versus Minnesota. On Feb. 27, he had 16 strikes on 20 pitches.
There are a lot of eyes on Elder and a few other young arms for the Braves this spring because of the winter departures of starters Max Fried and Charlie Morton. Without those two starters, Atlanta is searching for two pitchers to earn starting rotation spots behind Chris Sale, Reynaldo López and Spencer Schwellenbach.
Spencer Strider will eventually return to be a top-of-the-rotation guy for the Braves this season. But he isn’t expected to be ready for Opening Day.
Elder is one of four pitchers who could earn the No. 4 or 5 role in the Braves rotation to begin the 2025 campaign. Ian Anderson, A.J. Smith-Shawver and Grant Holmes are also in the competition.
In 2023, Elder made the National League All-Star team while posting a 12-4 record with a 3.81 ERA and 1.277 WHIP. He also had 128 strikeouts in 174.2 innings.
But Elder didn’t pitch well during the second half of that season. He registered a 5.11 ERA with a 1.398 WHIP in 13 outings after the All-Star break.
Last season, Elder posted a 2-5 record with a 6.52 ERA in 10 starts. He also had a 1.631 WHIP, as he struggled with walks.
It’s still a small sample, but Elder hasn’t been walking hitters early in Spring Training this year. In 4.2 innings, he’s issued only one free pass.
Elder exited with a two-run deficit against the Nationals on Feb. 27. But the Braves responded with three runs over five innings to take the lead in the eighth.
