Max Fried to make his second rehab start for the Rome Braves
Atlanta Braves fans have been anticipating the return of their ace for a couple of months now. He's finally inching closer after completing his first rehab assignment last week and will head to Rome for his second rehab stint.
Atlanta Braves starter Max Fried went down with an injury in early May with a left forearm strain. He was cleared to start a throwing program on May 24th and has slowly worked his way to being back on the mound.
He had been throwing live bullpen sessions for a little while and within the last week he made his first Minor League rehab start. Fried started for the Gwinnett Stripers and finished with a final line of 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, and 1 K with 35 pitches thrown.
Max Fried began his rehab assignment today in Gwinnett. 1.1 scoreless innings, 1 hit, 2 walks and 1 K. Braves looking forward to having him back @BravesOnBally pic.twitter.com/kzjofQ1H1H
— Lauren Jbara (@laurenjbara) July 9, 2023
Those are not eye-popping numbers but the important thing is he was able to get through a full inning and a third with no discomfort. That is certainly something encouraging for Braves fans as Fried will be a welcome addition to an already excellent pitching staff.
It was announced on Thursday morning that Fried will be making his second rehab start for the High-A Rome Braves on Saturday, July 15th. Fried would have stuck with Gwinnett and made his second start during their series in Memphis but the team decided it made more sense to keep him close to home.
#Braves’ Max Fried update pic.twitter.com/qEEKxUvMJQ
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) July 13, 2023
It's not certain when Fried will rejoin the team but the fact that they want to keep him close to Atlanta gives some clue to how they feel about his recovery. Most likely he will make one more rehab start before rejoining the big league club.
Fried should be with the team by the end of July if things go well and he continues in the right direction. The Braves pitching staff has handled things pretty well so far in his absence but you'd be crazy to not want Fried back on the mound.
Max Fried currently has a 2-1 record with a 2.08 ERA through 26 innings pitched and 25 strikeouts. Just 5 games under his belt so that means the Braves could take a well-rested Max Fried into the playoffs this postseason. That almost feels like a cheat code.