Strider (elbow) will throw at least one more live batting practice session before getting into a spring game, either in Grapefruit League action or in a minor-league contest, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
The ace right-hander looked very good in his first live BP session Friday, tossing two simulated innings as he continues his recovery from an internal brace procedure on his elbow. "I think it's gone super well," Strider said about his rehab after the BP session. "In hindsight, there's always going to be things we could have done differently, places where we should have slowed down and places where we should have sped up. But I think it's been a really seamless process so far." If Strider is able to begin building up by the final week of camp, it's possible he could come off the IL and rejoin the Atlanta rotation by the end of April, although the team's schedule presents an added wrinkle on that front. Atlanta will be playing in Coors Field on April 28-30, hardly an ideal environment for a pitcher to make his return from a serious arm injury.