Spencer Strider will join Sean Murphy on rehab assignment in High-A Rome

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 27: Spencer Strider #99 of the Atlanta Braves is introduced before the game against the Kansas City Royals at Truist Park on March 27, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr. /Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images As it turns out, Thursday night will be a very good day for local fans in Rome to show up to the ballpark and for Braves fans in general to keep an eye on the Rome Emperors.

Walt Weiss spoke with the media before Tuesday’s night middle game between the Braves and the Marlins and revealed that Spencer Strider will be joining Sean Murphy in Rome to begin his rehab assignment as well. #Braves Spencer Strider will begin his rehab assignment with Rome on Thursday (40-45 pitches). Sean Murphy will catch him as his rehab assignment begins tonight.

— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) April 14, 2026 While Murphy is expected to begin his rehab stint tonight, he’ll serve as a battery mate with Spencer Strider on Thursday night since that’s when Strider will make his first start since suffering an oblique injury during the tail end of spring training. According to Weiss, Strider is expected to toss 40-45 pitches before bowing out. I’d imagine that Strider’s timetable for a potential return to the big leagues will come shortly after his performance and the obvious hope is that he’ll look good enough once he’s done on Thursday night.

At the same time, they could really try to let him stretch out as much as possible since he’s dealing with an oblique injury after all. Obliques are notoriously tricky to deal with and the obvious hope is that Strider won’t re-aggravate the injury in any way, shape or form while he’s on rehab assignment with Rome. So this could only be the first start for Strider on rehab for all we know.