Strider struck out five over two perfect innings of relief in Thursday's loss to the Reds.

EDGE Analysis

Entering the game with Atlanta down 6-1 in the top of the seventh inning, Strider sliced through the heart of Cincinnati's lineup. The rookie right-hander needed only 24 pitches (16 strikes) to breeze through his outing, hitting triple digits with his fastball twice and consistently sitting at 99 mph with his heater. Strider figures to handle a multi-inning role in a stacked Atlanta bullpen to begin the season, but his ability to pile up strikeouts while collecting the occasional win or hold should still give him fantasy value in deeper formats even if he doesn't graduate to a more high-profile gig.

Strider is set to make Atlanta's Opening Day roster, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Barring any late roster additions, Strider, Tucker Davidson and William Contreras will be in the majors to open the season. Strider was competing for a rotation spot but will begin the campaign as a bullpen option, though he could also see some work as a sixth starter. The 23-year-old righty made his big-league debut with two appearances last season and spent most of the year at Double-A Mississippi, where he had a 4.71 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 94:29 K:BB over 63 innings.

Strider gave up four hits and struck out three over two scoreless innings in Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins and hit 100 mph with four of his pitches, Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

EDGE Analysis

In addition to clocking triple digits, 20 of Strider's 29 pitches in the outing reached 96 mph. The 23-year-old right hander made a dramatic ascent through the Atlanta system last season, starting out in Low-A but ending the year in the big-league bullpen, and it's easy to see why after Tuesday's performance. Strider is expected to begin the season at Triple-A Gwinnett, but it's not yet clear whether the organization will stretch him back out as a starter -- he started 14 games for Double-A Mississippi in 2021 and posted a 94:29 K:BB in 63 innings, albeit with a 4.71 ERA and 1.22 WHIP -- or whether he'll continue his development as a potential high-leverage bullpen arm.

Strider was not included on Atlanta's NLDS roster against Milwaukee

EDGE Analysis

Strider debuted and threw 2.1 innings of relief on the final weekend of the regular season, allowing one run on two hits and walking one batter. Despite speculation that he may have a spot in the postseason bullpen, he'll be unavailable for the duration of the NLDS.

Strider (1-0) earned the win in relief Sunday against the Mets after tossing 1.1 scoreless innings, walking one.

EDGE Analysis

Strider, who spent most of the season at Double-A Mississippi and posted a 4.71 ERA through 63 innings (14 starts), made his MLB debut earlier this week and now recorded the first big-league win of his career during the regular-season finale piggybacking Charlie Morton's 2.2-inning start -- he looked quite good, recording four outs and earning the win while also tossing 14 of his 22 pitches for strikes. He's not likely to be a factor in Atlanta's postseason run, but there's no question this was a positive year for the fourth-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft.

Strider had his contract selected by Atlanta on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

Strider is in the midst of his first professional campaign and is now poised to make his MLB debut in the final days of the regular season. He spent most of the season at Double-A Mississippi and posted a 4.71 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 95:29 K:BB across 63 innings (14 starts). The 22-year-old is unlikely to be a factor on Atlanta's postseason roster given his inexperience, but it will still be a good opportunity to get his feet wet in the majors.

Strider will have his contract selected by Atlanta within the next couple days, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 23-year-old was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett at the start of the week and is now poised to join the major-league club after one appearance with the Stripers. Strider began the season at Low-A August but was quickly promoted to High-A Rome, and he spent most of the campaign with Double-A Mississippi. The 2020 draft pick has played well in his first year of professional ball with a 3.64 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 153:40 K:BB in 94 innings across all four minor-league levels.

Atlanta plans to promote Strider on Monday from Double-A Mississippi to Triple-A Gwinnett, Eric Cole of TalkingChop.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 2020 fourth-round pick will move on to his fourth different level of the season after kicking off his inaugural professional campaign at Low-A Augusta. He eventually saw most of his action in 2021 at Mississippi, where he produced a 4.71 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and a 95:29 K:BB in 63 innings. The 22-year-old right-hander will now get the chance to pick up a few more innings out of the Gwinnett bullpen down the stretch, potentially setting him up for a full-time assignment in the Triple-A club's bullpen heading into 2022.