Atlanta Braves Get Injury Update on Max Fried

The Atlanta Braves ace was placed on the injured list this morning with a left forearm strain. The team says they don't believe he needs Tommy John surgery, but they still expect him to miss significant time.

Just hours after placing him on the 15-day injured list with a left forearm strain, the Atlanta Braves have provided an update on injured ace Max Fried.

Mark Bowman, who covers the Braves for MLB.com, put out this Tweet:

"Fried's MRI didn't create any concern about possibly needing a second TJ surgery. He will be shut down from throwing until his forearm heals. He'll then have to build back up and basically go through Spring Training again. So, timetable is TBD. But this won't be a short-term IL."

Fried's MRI didn't create any concern about possibly needing a second TJ surgery. He will be shut down from throwing until his forearm heals. He'll then have to build back up and basically go through Spring Training again. So, timetable is TBD. But this won't be a short-term IL

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) May 9, 2023

The good news is that Fried doesn't need Tommy John surgery -- at least at this point. That points to the idea that he will pitch again this season, which is also good.

As Bowman notes though, he'll need to start from scratch in a build-up, so the absence will be significant and is a big blow for the first-place Braves, who are already dealing with injuries to Kyle Wright and Ian Anderson among pitchers.

When he's pitched this year, Fried has been excellent. The 29-year-old is 2-1 through five starts with a 2.08 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. He had only allowed one earned run in his first 20 innings but gave up five earned runs in six innings during his last start.

For his career, he's 56-26 with a 3.05 ERA. He helped the Braves win the World Series in 2021 when he won 14 games. He has double-digit win totals in each of the last three full seasons, and added a perfect 7-0 record during the shortened 2020 season.

The Braves host the Red Sox tonight at 7:20 p.m. ET.

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