Atlanta Braves ace Max Fried has been placed in the injured list for the second time already with a left forearm strain.
#Braves ace Fried on IL with forearm strain pic.twitter.com/nQBDasggLN
— David O’Brien (@DOBrienATL) May 9, 2023
When people around the MLB community hear forearm strain they fear the worst. Most injuries like this lead to Tommy John surgery. Luckily the Braves and Fried have dodged a bullet. According to David O’Brien of The Athletic, Fried had an MRI which showed no damage to the UCL that would need surgery. This is good news. Although Fried is expected to be out for quite some time, the injury is not season ending.
While on the mound this season, Fried has been living up to ace status for this Braves team. In only five starts, Fried is 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 26.1 innings pitched. In the 2022 MLB season, Fried was second in CY Young voting and has lived up to those expectations.
There is no current timetable on how ling Fried will be on the IL. He was shut down from throwing and who knows how long that will take for the injury to heal. After the injury is healed, he will have to ramp back up to game speed. That will take some time as well. Hopefully the Braves can get him back sooner rather than later as they already have Kyle Wright on the IL with the same shoulder injury he had been dealing with in the preseason.
If the Braves want to compete for another World Series then they will need these guys healthy. The Atlanta Braves are currently favorites to win the World Series at +500 according to offshore sportsbooks.
In the meantime, the Braves will likely throw out Jared Shuster for the game tomorrow in Fried’s stead. He and pitcher Dylan Dodd should get plenty of opportunities while they are on the mend. Mike Soroka may also be called upon, but the organization may not want to rush him back after not pitching in the majors for quite some time.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
