The Atlanta Braves have a clear idea of what their rotation will be for the 2024 season. Unfortunately, that will not include Ian Anderson at the beginning of the season as he continues to heal from Tommy John surgery.
However, the former rookie standout provided an update on his rehab process at Spring Training. Anderson underwent the Tommy John procedure after a rough season in 2022 and Spring in 2023. He wasn't able to find the same success found in his first two seasons, losing command and the ability to get outs.
Once it was announced he needed surgery, that provided fans with an answer as to why he could not recreate his earlier success.
Anderson announced that his rehab process was going very well and hesitantly provided a timetable for his return. According to Braves insider David O'Brien, Ian expects to return by "mid-Summer but not putting a specific date on it."
"When I wasn't able to throw, kind of right at the beginning after the surgery, I put a lot of work into my mechanics. Now that I'm back throwing, everything feels good."
— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) February 20, 2024
Ian Anderson continues to work his way back from Tommy John surgery ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/0TksQOzOyH
It's encouraging to hear that the healing process has been going well and Anderson could provide the Braves with another depth option later in the year if he is needed.
If Atlanta has to depend on Anderson, however, that means something terrible went wrong with the Braves rotation. I'd expect the team doesn't want to rush Ian back to the mound so he wouldn't see big league action until this fall or next year.
Anderson said he's made some tweaks to his over-the-top delivery style and dropped his arm angle a bit and that everything feels good so far. Perhaps this will allow him to have a more deceptive delivery and gain even more of an advantage over his opponents.
It's encouraging to hear this news and know that Anderson will have a chance to return to the form that earned him an impressive 5-inning no-hit performance during game 3 of the 2021 World Series. Anderson has an impressive 1.26 ERA through eight career postseason starts.
Anderson posted an impressive 3.25 ERA over 30 regular-season starts between 2020 and 2021 and Atlanta hopes that he can return to that form and not the 2022 version which saw him post a 5.00 ERA over 22 starts.
The talent is there and hopefully, this surgery will allow him to regain that confidence and provide the Braves with another talented option for their pitching staff.