Ian Anderson Reflects on Turbulent Journey, Push to Return to Braves

As the 2025 season reaches its end, Ian Anderson is looking to get going again. It’s been another season of highs and lows. The Atlanta Braves’ right-hander made it back to the Majors for the first time in over two years; he’s also been traded, designated for assignment, and suffered another long-term injury.

“It's been a tough year,” he said. “Just a lot of start and stop.”

It's been nearly four years since he made his mark during the Braves' run to a World Series championship in 2021, their first since 1995. He'll always have that run, and Braves fans hold a special place for him in their hearts because of it.

However, he's determined to show, even if just to himself, that there is more to the story.

It was special to return to the big leagues after the time he spent away. But making it back with the team he grew up with in Atlanta would make for a nice full-circle moment in a Major League career he hopes will last another eight to 10 years.

“I don’t think it would be a surprise that if said back in ‘21 when I walked off the mound in the World Series, that I thought that things would play out a lot differently,” he said. “So, it would be awesome to have a chance to get back out there and prove to myself more than anything that no matter how many bumps in the road there were, it was always meant to be.”

For the last three seasons, he’s been hard-pressed to find a long stretch of time to get consistent reps in live action. It doesn’t help when he’s been used as a starter one moment and a reliever the next.

There could be consistent playing time, but he’s not in a consistent role.

When he returned to the Braves from a one-month stint with the Angels, he was immediately turned back into a starting pitcher. He’ll jump into any role a Major League team gives him, but he considers himself better suited to be a starter.

“It’s definitely different,” Anderson said. “You have to be locked in every day. You never know when they’re going to be calling down. As a starter, you work your whole week around pitching once, maybe twice, and you can empty the tank for five, six, seven innings as a starter.

“As a reliever, you could be emptying the tank for an inning, could be emptying it for two, and then maybe having to come back two days later.”

For now, he’s down in Columbus with the Clingstones on a rehab assignment, but where he takes the mound in the minors is almost a moot point. The important thing is to get on the mound and get more innings post-injury under his belt.

“I just need to get back to pitching, and it doesn't necessarily matter what level I'm at,” he said. “I know I got to go and kind of take care of my business and do what I know I can do and what I need to do. That goes a long way just for my confidence, cause I haven't had all too many pitches over the last two years.”

Anderson missed just over two months with ulnar neuritis, a condition that causes inflammation in the elbow. It’s a common ailment for pitchers who have undergone Tommy John surgery, and the repaired ligament is in good shape. Even then, they still had to do their due diligence and make sure the inflammation cleared up before he could pitch again.

So far, the time away to heal appears to have helped. He’s taken a step forward with each start. After failing to complete two innings in his first start, he made it into the fifth inning in his second start and into the sixth in his third.

Since walking five batters in his first start in 1 2/3 innings, he’s alone given up one free pass in 10 innings pitched.

The reason behind the improvement was hard to pinpoint, but he gave credit to not overthinking the game and concentrating on getting the job done.

“I think just maybe just not focusing on, you know, mechanics and things like that, just going out competing, I think, helped me out a lot,” he said. “I think when you've had injuries and downtime and time where you're not in games competing, it can be easy to get into more of a mechanical mindset, and I think that's kind of what happened to me a little bit.”

Staying mentally strong has become a focus for Anderson as he’s gone through his share of adversities.

“There's plenty of times where you don't know if you're gonna be the same guy,” he said. You don't know if you know you'll ever have the same fastball, if you have any of that stuff, so part of it coming back is just trying to prove yourself that you can still do it. And I think that that's a big part of coming back from injuries.”

Baseball is a mental game just as much, if not more, than a physical one. Beating your mind and having the willpower to keep going through the motions is what it takes.

“Sometimes you gotta get your mind out of the way, and it takes some serious commitment to go through. All these long haul of processes to finally get back to pitching.”

The support of his family, including his twin brother, Ben, who’s in the Rangers organization, has been key to pushing through adversity.

Both brothers have been able to bounce thoughts off each other in an effort to help make one another better and keep spirits up.

“We've had plenty of conversations about different outings, and you know, some of his outings, some of mine, and just kind of giving each other positive reinforcement.”

He keeps up with his Braves teammates, but he takes the chance to take his mind off the game when catching up.

“Never too much about each other’s individual performances,” he said. “We're just more buddies; buddy, buddy than anything.”

Anderson has found ways to keep baseball at the field and focus on other things when away. He takes the time to connect with family members, read books, play video games, particularly FIFA and NBA 2K, with his friends, and play golf.

The latter he picked up as a hobby after he got drafted by the Braves. He developed an appreciation for golf because of the similarities he sees in it to his day job.

“It's such a tough game, and you know that's another game where you have to expect the unexpected sometimes and then be committed to what you're doing out there, so I think it translates pretty well to pitching.”

The mental strategy of having his hobbies away from the mound, even ones that can help him on the mound, is all part of him doing what it takes to be a reinvented version of himself.

Anderson said he wasn’t sure if he would have the chance to pitch again for Triple-A Gwinnett this season. With the season close to being over, there might not be enough race track to resume a normal season after a rehab assignment.

Regardless, it brings things back to the mindset that he’s getting the reps he needs when reps have been hard to come by. The chance to pitch at a higher level will come again.

Soon, like every year, winter will come and eventually spring. Anderson will report along with the other pitchers and catchers with the same goal. It’ll be a tougher hill to climb than ever. But as the climb gets steeper, the further he’s been conditioned for a greater challenge.

When everything, including the kitchen sink, has been thrown at you, bring it on.

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