Velocity remains a question mark after Strider's 1st simulated game since injury

ATLANTA -- Braves manager Brian Snitker and pitching coach Rick Kranitz both blamed recent inactivity when asked about the lower-than-anticipated velocity readings Spencer Strider produced during a simulated game at Truist Park on Wednesday afternoon.

Still, while it might take time for Strider to regain the arm strength he lost after straining his right hamstring on April 21, the Braves haven’t conceded he will need to make at least one Minor League rehab start. In fact, they remain open to the possibility he will be activated to start against the Nationals early next week at Nationals Park.

“We’re all going to meet and figure out what we’re going to do next,” Kranitz said.

Strider will not speak to the media before a decision is revealed on Thursday. But he will most likely declare himself ready to make just his second start of the season. He made a successful return from elbow surgery by tossing five solid innings in Toronto on April 16.

But five days after making his first start in a little more than a year, he strained his hamstring while simply playing catch in the outfield grass.

So, as Strider threw approximately 65 pitches while simulating five innings on Wednesday, it marked the first time he had faced hitters or pitched in any kind of competitive setting in nearly a full month. This may have influenced his fastball velocity, which sat between 93-94 mph during the final four innings. He was throwing 95-96 mph in the first.

“It’s going to take him repetitions and starts in order to build that velocity back,” Snitker said. “I think that’s normal for anybody who has been off for the time he has."

Strider’s four-seam fastball averaged 97.2 mph in 2023, his most recent healthy season. Just 0.3 percent (6-of-1,826) of the four-seamers he threw registered at 94 mph or lower.

When Strider pitched in Toronto last month, his four-seamer averaged 95.4 mph. Just two of the 58 four-seamers he threw that day were 94 mph or lower.

But it should be noted that Strider’s four-seamer averaged 96.9 mph in the first inning of that return start, and just 95.1 mph from innings two through five.

Was this an indication that Strider could have benefited from an additional rehab start last month? Will it simply take him time to regain the velocity he had when he led MLB in strikeouts from 2022-23? If so, does his current velocity combined with his great slider give him enough to simultaneously regain arm strength and be a reliable starter?

These are among the questions the Braves will ponder while deciding Strider’s next step. But Kranitz came away from this latest test feeling encouraged.

“Velocity is great, but it's about the action on the ball that really makes the difference,” Kranitz said. “I felt like the ball was coming out really well.”