Despite not making any significant move at the trade deadline, the Braves will soon welcome back arguably the best lefty on the planet in Max Fried, who could return as early as Friday as the club travels to Chicago for a set with the Cubs, according to Brian Snitker.
Fried has been out since early May with a forearm injury, but the club only shut him down for precautionary reasons, giving him the absolute most time he’d need to recover. He’s completed four rehab starts, with the most recent coming last Saturday for the Stripers, where he threw 79 pitches.
However, as Snit usually does, he wouldn’t commit to Fried’s start on Friday, but there’s a good reason for that. The Braves’ ace has been dealing with a stomach bug; one that delayed his last rehab start from Wednesday to Saturday.
With Fried coming back, the Brave starting rotation woes don’t seem as prominent, unless he doesn’t return to form. Atlanta’s skipper isn’t worried, though.
“I have a lot of faith in him and what he’s doing and how he goes about it,” Snitker said. “I think we’ve done everything right in getting him back and not rushing him back.”
Before he went down, Max Fried started five games and looked as good as ever, posting a 2.08 ERA across 26 innings. Somehow, the Braves pitching staff has held things down without Fried, Kyle Wright, and a bevy of critical relievers.
Coming into Tuesday’s contest against the Angels, the club’s starters have combined for a 4.01 ERA, which ranks second in the NL and eighth in Major League Baseball. While the relief core owns a 3.67 ERA, ranking first in the league and fifth in all of baseball.
Braves Country seems to be confused about just how good this club is because they’re complaining about the quiet deadline. Even with other teams making moves, no roster compares to that of Atlanta, and we’re about to welcome back the rotation’s ace in Max Fried and potentially Kyle Wright, who could return in early September.
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David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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