Braves' Fried lands on IL ahead of playoff run
The Atlanta Braves placed left-hander Max Fried on the 15-day injured list Friday in the hopes that a blister on his index finger can heal ahead of the postseason.
Fried pitched in Thursday’s 10-3 win over the Washington Nationals on extra rest because of the blister. He said he felt great while pitching — allowing just one run and three hits in six innings while striking out seven — but noted the blister eventually became a problem.
“Toward the end, the finger filled up with a little bit of fluid. Drained it. Kind of take it day-by-day,” Fried said. “It’s something that obviously happens often. It’s more about managing it and dealing with it.”
The Braves have clinched the National League East and entered Friday with the best record in baseball at 98-55. The NL Division Series begins Oct. 7, giving Fried two weeks to recover before Atlanta plans to have him pitch Game 1 or 2. Spencer Strider is expected to pitch the other contest.
“Playoffs are what’s most important,” Fried said. “So whatever is going to get us to that is what we’re going to do.”
Fried, 29, finishes the regular season with an 8-1 record and a 2.55 ERA in 14 starts. He struck out 80 batters and walked 18 in 77⅔ innings. Fried missed about three months of the season with a strained left forearm.
A first-time All-Star and Cy Young Award runner-up in 2022, Fried has a 62-26 record and a 3.03 ERA in 139 games (122 starts) since making his major league debut with Atlanta in 2017.
In a corresponding move, the Braves recalled right-hander Darius Vines from Triple-A Gwinnett. Vines, 25, made his MLB debut Aug. 30 and is 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA in three games (one start) with Atlanta. He has a 3-2 record and a 2.37 ERA in 10 games (nine starts) across three levels in the minors this season.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
