The Braves announced to reporters, including , that outfielder will start a rehab a signment in the Complex League tomorrow. He will be playing the outfield and will be monitored for a potential transfer to Triple-A Gwinnett at some point. The club also announced that right-hander will throw a simulated game Artis Gilmore Jersey on Wednesday, per . The plan is for Strider to throw 70 to 75 pitches before a decision is made about whether to send him on a rehab a signment or simply reinstate him from the injured list. The news is obviously quite welcome for Atlanta fans. The injuries to the two players have been hampering the club for almost all of the past year-plus. Strider required UCL surgery in the middle of April last year. Just over a month later, Acua suffered a torn left ACL. The club limped through the rest of the season without those two, qualifying for a Wild Card spot in the final game of the season. They were quickly swept by the Padres in the Wild Card round. Here in 2025, things have gotten out to a rough start. Strider was reinstated from the IL last month but made just one start before a hamstring strain put him back on the shelf. , signed in the offseason to bolster the outfield in Acuas absence, played just four games before receiving an 80-game PED suspension. made just one start before requiring arthroscopic shoulder surgery and is going to be out for several months. Around all of those speedbumps, Atlanta has managed to somewhat tread water, currently sporting a 19-21 record. The upcoming returns of both Acua and Strider should improve their chances of climbing in the standings going forward. When last healthy, Acua was on top of the world. He was the Most Valuable Player in the National League in 2023. He hit 41 home runs and stole 73 bases that season, producing a .337/.416/.596 batting line and 171 wRC+. FanGraphs considered him to be worth 9.1 wins above replacement while Baseball Reference had him at 8.4. That was all the more impre sive because he had recovered from a previous ACL tear in his right knee. His initial return from that injury, suffered in June of 2021, was more good than great. He was reinstated from the IL in April of 2022 and then hit .266/.351/.413 for a 115 wRC+ that year. But in 2023, he was firing on all cylinders and was one of the best players in the world. Its anyones gue s which version of Acua will show up this year. With his previous ACL tear, he was eventually able to get back to MVP-level performance, but with a half-decent season in between. Now that he has suffered tears in both ACLs, its hard to say whats ahead, but it shouldnt take too much longer to find out. Rehab a signments for position players can last as long as 20 days. Even if Acua uses that entire timeline, hell be back by early June, unle s he suffers a setback of some kind. When he does return, the club will have to decide which player loses playing time. is currently holding down Acuas right field spot. He has a .284/.333/.506 line and 127 wRC+, but is getting some help from a .350 batting average on balls in play. He could drop into a fourth outfielder role but left fielder has a .241/.300/.325 line and 76 wRC+ on the year, comparable to his poor season with the Yankees in 2024, so perhaps White could slide over to left and take some time there. As for Strider, it seems theres a chance he could be back as soon as a week from now, if the sim game goes well. Even if he does go on a rehab a signment, it might be a brief one. Whenever hes healthy, he should slot next to , and in the rotation. and are currently in the mix but both have ERAs close to 5.00. Elder has a tepid strikeout rate but a good walk rate while Holmes has been getting more punchouts but also giving out more free pa ses. Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images Tim Duncan Jersey