
Spencer Strider Injury: On track to start Wednesday
Atlanta is planning to activate Strider (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to make his season debut Wednesday in Toronto, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Shortly after Strider completed his third and final rehab start with Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday, Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said that the right-hander was on track to return from the IL during the upcoming week. While Atlanta has yet to officially confirm that Strider will debut Wednesday, the 26-year-old felt good during his bullpen session Sunday and will take the hill for the series finale in Toronto, barring any unforeseen setbacks with his arm. Strider is just over a year removed from undergoing internal brace surgery on his right elbow, but he exhibited no signs of rust during his two Grapefruit League starts and three rehab outings. He got stretched out to 5.1 innings and 90 pitches in his final start with Gwinnett, striking out 13 of the 21 batters he faced while inducing 21 swings-and-misses. Atlanta likely won't push Strider past the 100-pitch mark Wednesday, but given how strong he's looked during his time on the farm, fantasy managers who have been stashing him will likely want to activate him right away this week.