Strider dominant in Gwinnett rehab, fans 8, reaches 98.1 mph

Spencer Strider looked like the pitcher Atlanta has been waiting for, overpowering hitters for the Gwinnett Stripers with 4.1 scoreless innings, eight strikeouts, one hit allowed and a fastball that reached 98.1 mph. Working 65 pitches and allowing only one walk, the Braves right-hander showed the swing-and-miss stuff and the command that make his rehab feel more like a countdown to activation than a mere checkpoint.

The outing came with Sean Murphy behind the plate, a notable pairing as Murphy also continued his own rehab assignment with Gwinnett. Strider resumed his rehab on Tuesday, April 21, after opening the process at High-A Rome on April 16, when he threw 3.1 scoreless innings against Jersey Shore and needed 50 pitches to get through the assignment. Atlanta had already been encouraged by the buildup, with his fastball touching 95 mph in live batting practice at Truist Park before he ever took a rehab mound.

Strider has been on the Braves’ 15-day injured list since March 25 with a left oblique muscle strain, the result of discomfort that surfaced in a minor league spring training game on March 17. The latest Gwinnett start marked another step in a careful ramp-up, and the velocity jump to 98.1 mph suggested he is moving beyond simple recovery work and back toward the power profile that has made him one of baseball’s most dominant starters.

That matters because Atlanta has been signaling a relatively short runway. MLB.com has reported the club hoped for an early May return, with Strider likely needing around three rehab starts before being activated. If this trip through Gwinnett continues to produce this version of him, the Stripers are serving exactly the role the Braves want: a proving ground where Strider can sharpen his timing, test his workload and show that major-league hitters will again have to deal with elite velocity and elite miss rates.

The track record in Gwinnett only reinforces the confidence. Strider made three rehab starts for the Stripers last season while returning from right UCL surgery, posting a 1.32 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP. In four career games with Gwinnett, including his Triple-A debut in relief in 2021, he is 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP.