Atlanta Braves ace Max Fried had to leave Opening Day against the Washington Nationals early due to hamstring discomfort.
LHP Max Fried was removed from today’s game with left hamstring discomfort.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) March 30, 2023
He suffered the injury while making an out to first base. Fried tried to walk it off and throw a few warmup pitches, but was not able to finish the inning. The Braves medical staff quickly attended to Fried. He appeared to be in considerable pain.
He only pitched 3.1 innings giving up four hit, one earned run and two strikeouts. Fried has been one of the better pitchers in the National League for a few years now. He was drafted seventh overall by the San Diego Padres in the 2012 MLB Draft. He has spent his entire Major League career with the Atlanta Braves and has been a mainstay in their rotation since 2019.
The Braves will likely provide an update on Fried’s condition in the coming days, but it’s unclear at this point how long he will be out. Hamstring injuries can often be tricky to predict, and the severity of Fried’s injury is not yet known. An injury list stint is likely due to the 2023 season just starting.
In Fried’s absence, the Braves turned to their bullpen. With a day off tomorrow, the Braves used most of the bullpen to close out the game. Atlanta used five different relievers who only allowed one run the rest of the way. The Braves won the first game of the season against the Nationals by a score of 7-2.
The Atlanta Braves are +700 to win the World Series according to Georgia sportsbooks.
The Braves will now have to regroup and figure out how to move forward without one of their top pitchers. They have a deep roster, but losing Fried for any extended period of time would certainly be a blow.
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