Braves Activate SP Max Fried Off Injured List After Three-Month Absence

Atlanta Braves lefty pitcher Max Fried has been out since May with a forearm strain.

The Braves are already the best team in baseball, and they are getting a huge piece back in their rotation ahead of the stretch run. On Friday, the team announced that they activated pitcher Max Fried off the 60-day injured list ahead of their game vs. the Cubs.

Fried first landed on the injured list in May with a forearm strain, and he missed three months as he recovered from the injury. To begin the season, Fried made five starts and totaled a 2.08 ERA in 26 innings before he was shut down.

.@therabody injury update:

The #Braves today returned LHP Max Fried from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the 60-day injured list. pic.twitter.com/tdrCMs8tw0

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 4, 2023

The lefty starter has established himself at the top of Atlanta’s pitching staff and was a key part of their World Series team in 2021. In his seven-year career, Fried has only surpassed a 4.00 ERA once, and since 2020 he has accumulated a 2.67 ERA in 433 innings pitched.

Fried’s return only strengthens an already-talented Braves rotation, also headlined by Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton and Bryce Elder. Atlanta has an 11.5-game lead in the NL East, which should allow Fried to re-acclimate into the majors without too much stress in his innings.