Braves activate RHP Strider off IL to start vs. Jays Wednesday

TORONTO (AP) — Atlanta Braves right-hander Spencer Strider wasn’t looking for a feel-good moment. He wanted a win.

Strider allowed two runs and five hits in five-plus innings in his return to the mound against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon, but the Braves lost 3-1 to fall eight games below .500 at 5-13.

“My job isn’t to come back and have a moment and all that,” Strider said. “That’s not how I look at it. I’m here to help the team.”

Making his first big league appearance in 376 days because of surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, Strider struck out five, walked one and hit a batter. He threw 97 pitches, 58 for strikes.

“He’s extremely important to our club and especially to our rotation,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s good to have him back.”

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had two of the five hits off Strider, including an RBI single in the third inning and a solo home run in the sixth. The homer was Guerrero’s first.

Strider got ahead 0-2 with his first two pitches of the at-bat but couldn’t finish Guerrero off with any of his next five. Guerrero homered into the second deck on a full-count slider, a 412-foot drive.

“For me, didn’t do a good job of executing with two strikes,” Strider said. “Felt like my off-speed didn’t have a lot of conviction, a lot of consistency. That makes it hard to pitch.”

Strider followed the Guerrero homer by walking Anthony Santander. Snitker responded by replacing Strider with left-hander Dylan Lee.

“I think as he’s out there he’s going to get stronger,” Snitker said of Strider. “He’s got some moxie about him and competitiveness. He’s going to be fine.”

Strider struck out Bo Bichette on three pitches to begin the game. He threw his hardest pitch of the afternoon, a 98 mph fastball, to Guerrero in the first.

Strider struck out Myles Straw to strand runners at second and third to end the second.

Bichette doubled to begin the third and Guerrero followed with a ground-ball single to center to drive in the game’s first run.

“To give up the first run, it’s obviously a big momentum swing,” Strider said. “It just kind of puts us in a defensive position, and I don’t want to do that.”

The Braves activated Strider off the injured list Wednesday morning and optioned right-handed reliever Zach Thompson to Triple-A.

Atlanta has gone 5-6 since starting 0-7 and has yet to win back-to-back games. The Braves are 2-11 on the road.

“We’re not in a great position at the moment,” Strider acknowledged. “That’s fine. It’s still early in the season. People want to doubt us, that’s great. Bring it on.”

Strider’s return could give the Braves a big lift. He went 20-5 with a 3.86 ERA in 2023, finishing with a major league-best 281 strikeouts in 186 2/3 innings and placing fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting.

Strider, 26, had last appeared in the majors on April 5, 2024, against the Diamondbacks in Atlanta. He made two starts last season before undergoing surgery.

Strider struck out 13 in 5 1/3 innings in a dominant rehab start at Triple-A last Thursday, allowing one run and three hits. He threw 90 pitches, 62 for strikes, and reached 97 mph with his fastball.

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