Spencer Strider took a major step toward rejoining the Atlanta Braves rotation, delivering an impressive performance in his first rehab start for Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday. The hard-throwing right-hander showed flashes of his dominant form, striking out six batters over three innings while allowing just two hits and one earned run.

Making his way back from elbow surgery, Strider threw 60 pitches—41 of them for strikes—while mixing in his full arsenal of pitches, including his signature fastball, slider, changeup, and curveball. His fastball averaged 95.9 mph and topped out at 97.4 mph, keeping Charlotte Knights hitters off balance throughout the outing.

Strider generated 16 swinging strikes on 33 swings, a whiff rate of 48%, signaling that his elite stuff remains intact. Both of the hits he allowed came in the first inning, as Chicago White Sox prospects Kyle Teel and Chase Meidroth combined to push across an early run. However, Strider settled in quickly, striking out four of the final nine batters he faced.

The 26-year-old is working his way back to Atlanta after undergoing an internal brace procedure to repair a damaged UCL in his pitching elbow early last season. He made two spring training appearances for the Braves, racking up 10 strikeouts before being sent to Gwinnett to continue building up his workload.

A breakout star in 2022, Strider became one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball, finishing fourth in Cy Young voting in 2023 after leading the National League with 20 wins and 281 strikeouts over 186.2 innings. However, his 2024 season was cut short after just two starts, where he posted a 7.00 ERA with 12 strikeouts across nine innings.

According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, Strider is expected to make at least two more rehab outings before the Braves decide on his return to the major league rotation. If Saturday’s start was any indication, he may not need long to get back to his All-Star form.

The Gwinnett Stripers made sure to acknowledge Strider’s dominance on social media, posting:

“Hey, this Strider guy’s pretty good. 3.0 IP | 2 H | 1 ER | 1 BB | 6 SO. 

With Strider back on the mound and flashing his electric stuff, Braves fans have plenty of reason to be excited about his return.