I do not know how Itch classifies updates or what they consider for approval. But without actually comparing versions and playing them, they can look at the raw data. And in my opinion, "major" updates in a game so early in development are not really major, no matter what effort you think you put it.
If I were to make a filter, I would not even consider an update to recent in the first few months at all. You are still at the chronological place of a game 3 months old. Select a few characteristic tags and you appear on page 1 of recent on those tags.
Another thing to consider, the people that do frequent the recent section might do so regularly. And they will recognise the game, since it is futile to just aimlessly browse recent for all games. They will have made some tag selections.
For example, if you select ai graphics, visual novel and adult games, thats only about 20 pages - and those are very bland tags. An interested player can skim all those in a weekend and put interesting games in a collection for later view. If you appear on page 2 or on page 7 makes little difference in my opinion. And if Itch just approves all devlogs, the most recent pages will show the same games over and over again.
You do not want to appear on top of recent, you want to appear high in popular.