The Atlanta Braves have been patiently waiting for their ace to return. He is one step closer as he will make his third rehab start today for the Gwinnett Stripers.
Fried was originally scheduled to pitch on Thursday for Gwinnett but the game was postponed due to inclement weather in the area. The southpaw was selected to start game one of a doubleheader between Gwinnett and Norfolk.
The doubleheader will feature two games lasting 7 innings and kicks off at 5:05 PM EST. Fried takes the mound in game one for the Stripers. He was slated to throw at least five innings but seems to be capped around 60 pitches according to Justin Toscano of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
Max Fried will start the first game of Triple-A Gwinnett’s doubleheader after the Stripers were rained out on Thursday night. He is scheduled to throw around 60 pitches.
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) July 21, 2023
Max pitched once already for Gwinnett with 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, and 1 K through 35 pitches. He then made his second rehab start for the High-A affiliate, Rome Braves. Gwinnett was on the road at the time and the team opted to keep him closer to Atlanta instead.
In his start with Rome, he tossed 30 pitches across 3 IP with 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, and 3 K. That's the efficient Max Fried we all know and love. It almost seems unfair to ask players in High-A ball to face a pitcher of his caliber.
If all goes well for Max during today's start and the Braves determine he doesn't need another rehab start, he could rejoin the team as soon as next Wednesday in Boston. According to Mark Bowman, Fried would be on regular rest at that point.
Gwinnett was rained out last night. So, Fried will start the first game of tonight’s doubleheader. He’ll attempt to at least pitch into the fifth inning. If the Braves decide he doesn’t need any additional rehab starts, he would be on regular rest for Wednesday’s game at Boston
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 21, 2023
It's exciting to think that we may see Max Fried back on the mound in a Braves uniform soon. He will certainly give a boost to the starting rotation when he joins.
Kyle Wright expected to join team in September
In other pitching news, there is an update on Kyle Wright's injury status. Wright has been out for a while now for Atlanta but Mark Bowman reports he is scheduled to start throwing off the mound today.
Kyle Wright will play catch off the mound on Friday and then throw some shortened bullpens early next week. If all goes well, he could begin throwing normal bullpens by the end of next week. ETA now seems to be early September.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 19, 2023
He will play catch off the mound and then throw some bullpen sessions sometime next week. If the team thinks he's good to continue he will then start longer bullpen sessions to work back up before doing any rehab starts.
I wouldn't expect to see Kyle back before mid-September at this point. Atlanta will likely want to be very careful with Wright due to his history of shoulder issues. Rushing him back if he isn't ready would be a big mistake.
This team surely needs to be healthy as we get closer to the last couple of months of the season and the postseason. We will need everyone at full strength. Here's to hoping things continue to go well for Fried and Wright.