TODAY: The Braves officially announced the activation of Fried and selected the lefty Dylan Lee to Triple-A to clear a spot on the active roster. Lee, 30, has a 2.00 ERA in 35 games with the Braves this year but is the only player with options left in Atlanta’s bullpen after the club acquired a right-hander. Luke Jackson from the Giants before the trade deadline last week.
AUGUST 3: The Braves plan to use the left-hander Fried Max on the 15-day injured list for the start of the team’s game against the Marlins tomorrow afternoon, as manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including Gabriel Burns of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution). The southpaw has been on the shelf since late last month with forearm neuritis. Atlanta will need to clear Fried’s spot on the active roster before the start of tomorrow’s game.
Fried, 30, had uncertain turnaround times when he was first shelved but luckily will enjoy at least a short stay in IL when all is said and done. It’s quite a relief for Braves fans that Fried was able to return so quickly given the club’s recent struggles; the club is just 14-13 since July 1 and 7-7 since the All Star break. Other clubs in the NL Wild Card race have caught up with the Braves while spinning their wheels, as the Diamondbacks are currently only 1.5 games behind Atlanta for the top Wild Card spot, while the Mets and Padres are both tied. third and last place just half a game behind Arizona.
With so much filling in the Wild Card picture, the Braves must be eager to welcome Fried, who has been one of the league’s best pitchers since breaking out of the shortened 2020 season. Since the start of that year, Fried has posted a career-best 2.73 ERA and 3.12 FIP in 101 starts despite a pedestrian 23.3% strikeout rate. It’s been the same for the lefty this year as he’s posted a 3.08 ERA and 3.55 FIP in 18 starts for the Braves this year even after a brutal start to the season where he allowed 15 runs (14 earned) in his 16 1 the first. / 3 independents this year. He has been dominant since then, however, helping to create a three-headed monster in the front of Atlanta’s closer rotation. Chris Sale again Reynaldo Lopez that helped the club to overcome its poor performance when it suffered.
In welcoming Fried back into the rotation, the Braves have an opportunity to buy themselves more time to figure out how to deal with Lopez’s injury woes. The righty left his latest start for the team Sunday after just three innings due to arm stiffness. While an MRI eventually revealed no structural damage, Lopez has been day-to-day ever since. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reported earlier today that the right-hander hasn’t thrown a bullpen since leaving his start earlier in the week, though he added that it “looks like” the club believes he can return to the mound. next week. That would make it unlikely Fried would replace Lopez in the rotation, as the IL stint can only be pushed back three days, meaning Lopez’s 15-day trip to IL would still keep him idle. about two weeks after he was released from the active list.
And a rookie Spencer Schwellenbach as impressed as he is with a 4.03 ERA and 3.46 FIP through 11 starts, it looks like he might be OK Grant Holmes could be the odd man out in the rotation mix in Fried’s return. A former first-round pick of the Dodgers back in 2014, Holmes made his big league debut with Atlanta back in June and has been impressive for the club so far with a 2.54 ERA and 2.22 FIP in 28 1/3 frames. Fried’s return doesn’t mean the end of Holmes’ time on the roster, however. With Lopez now out of a job, the club could benefit from returning Holmes to his previous role of relieving multiple innings or perhaps keeping him available as a spot starter if Lopez ends up needing a trip. on the injured list.
Source link
