They have done that for most of the season without their best pitcher, Spencer Strider. The Atlanta ace missed the start of the season after recovering from Tommy John surgery to repair an elbow injury, but he made just one start before going back on the injured list. Shortly after an April 16 outing against the Toronto Blue Jays, Strider strained his hamstring and went on the 15-day injured list.

Strider can be activated this week, but the Braves are still deciding whether to have him come back or whether to have him test it out in the minor leagues.

Strider still thinks that he can go out there and make an impact right now, via Mark Bowman of MLB.com.

“I feel good to go, but admittedly, I haven’t pitched in three weeks,” Strider said, per Bowman. “So, I won’t be shocked if they don’t feel comfortable running me out there. I’ve made my availability known. Beyond that, it’s up to them.”

Strider looked solid, though understandably rusty, in his first start against Toronto. He went five innings in that one, giving up just a pair of earned runs on five hits while throwing 97 pitches.

Adding a talent like Strider back into the Atlanta rotation will make them very formidable, even in a very good National League East that includes a pair of World Series contenders in the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets. While the Braves start to find their footing as they get into the heart of their season, they are also getting healthier and will have one of the most talented rosters in the league the rest of the way if healthy.