The Atlanta Braves announced Tuesday that ace Max Fried is being placed on the 15-day injured list due to a strained left forearm. It is his second stint on the shelf this season, as he missed two starts with a left hamstring strain in April. He will be shut down from throwing, but the Braves are not concerned that he will need Tommy John surgery, according to Mark Bowman.
Fried’s last start on May 5 against the Baltimore Orioles was an uncharacteristic one for the all-star. He allowed seven runs, five of them earned, picking up his first loss of the season. Other than that he has been brilliant when on the mound for the Braves. He allowed one run in his first 20 innings this season.
This is a brutal blow for a Braves pitching staff that just lost fellow starter Kyle Wright to a shoulder strain. Despite the absence of some key arms through the first 35 games of the season, the Braves have the sixth-best ERA in the league and have allowed the fourth fewest runs.
Fried has established himself as one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball over the last four years. Since the start of the 2020 season, Fried has a 2.64 ERA in 74 starts. The Braves are 51-23 in games that Fried started during that span.
The Braves have dealt with injuries to multiple key players this season but haven’t missed a beat. They hold the best record in the National League at 24-11 and have a seven-game lead in the NL East standings.
The loss of Max Fried adds some concern to Fried himself and the Braves starting rotation. Atlanta has built one of the deepest and most talented organizations in baseball though, hence why they are still such a dominant force despite the injuries.
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