FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Ian Anderson has time to right himself this spring. But his debut created further reasons for concerned about last year’s struggles extending into what he and the Braves hopes to be a rebound season.

Anderson’s bid to get off to a good start quickly evaporated as he allowed a pair of homers before being pulled during the first inning of a 10-7 loss to the Twins on Tuesday afternoon at Hammond Stadium. Instead of distancing himself from last year’s frustrations, the Braves right-hander was reintroduced to them.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it: It was not very good,” Anderson said. “You put in all the work during the offseason, [and] that’s not the first performance I wanted to put up. But I guess if you’re going to get punched, you might as well get punched really hard and see how you come back.”

How the Braves will fill their only rotation vacancy became even more interesting after Anderson allowed four runs, surrendered three hits and issued three walks over 1 1/3 innings. The 24-year-old hurler was lifted with two outs in the first inning and re-entered to retire two of the three batters he faced in the second inning. He created a decent ending to what was an otherwise forgettable spring debut.

“I don’t expect him to be a polished product right now,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s trying some different things with pitches, his delivery and the whole thing. So we’ve got to give him a chance in game conditions to get everything under control.”

Edouard Julien hit Anderson’s second pitch of the game over the right-center-field wall. After a pair of two-out walks, Willi Castro slugged a three-run homer against a slider, a new addition to Anderson’s arsenal.

Anderson’s average four-seam fastball velocity was 91.9 mph, down from 94.0 in 2022 and 94.6 in '21. But velocity is something that would be more of a concern after a pitcher makes at least a few Grapefruit League starts.

“I’ve never been good in Spring Training, but this year, it means more to me to put up better numbers,” Anderson said. “That’s how you make the team: You put up good numbers. Today wasn’t a very good step toward that.”

Anderson has nowhere to go but up, and he has another month to prepare for the start of the regular season. He is the favorite to begin the season as Atlanta’s fifth starter, especially with Michael Soroka still behind schedule because of a hamstring strain. But Bryce Elder could end up with the job if Anderson doesn’t prove himself.

Anderson posted a 5.00 ERA over 22 starts last season before being sent to Triple-A Gwinnett in August. His bid to return to Atlanta’s rotation was erased by an oblique strain suffered in mid-September.

So Anderson had spent about five months looking forward to Tuesday, a day he was hoping would help him turn the page on 2022.

It’s not like Anderson is far removed from success. He impressed with his six regular-season starts in 2020 and then posted a 3.58 ERA over 24 starts the following year. With the five scoreless innings he completed in Game 3 of the 2021 World Series, he found himself with a 1.26 ERA through eight career postseason starts. The only pitcher in MLB history with a better ERA with at least eight playoff starts is Christy Mathewson (0.97).

“He was the same guy when things were going well and when things weren’t going well,” Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud said. “I think that shows more about someone’s character, how they act when things are going bad.”

Anderson’s composure aided him during those big postseason moments, and it has helped him deal with the frustration he has encountered over the past year. But this year’s spring debut certainly tested his patience and set his sights on Sunday, when he’ll get his next chance to begin writing a new, more enjoyable chapter.

“I wanted to go out there and show them all I did this winter, and things just sped up on me,” Anderson said. “That’s obviously not how I envisioned starting. We’ll see how Sunday goes. I think it will be a lot better.”