Braves Rumors: Max Fried return, trade deadline explained, prospect debut coming
By Mark Powell
Will Max Fried pitch for the Braves today?
Max Fried returns from the injured list on Friday afternoon against the Chicago Cubs. The ace’s last start came on May 5, but a strained forearm sent him to the injured list for the better part of three months.
“Just getting back out there and competing, being with those guys, it’s one of my favorite places to be,” Fried said.
Fried was the runner-up in NL Cy Young voting just last season. He’s a year away from reaching free agency, and extension talks will surely be heated between his representatives and the Braves this offseason. But as Fried returns to the fold, winning is the only thing on his mind.
“I feel like I’ve been able to get a really good test of how my pitches are working in the zone against guys,” Fried said. “Now, I’m just going to go out there and trust it at Wrigley. I’ll definitely have some butterflies and jitters before I go out there.”
In his four rehab starts, Fried built up his pitch count to a respectable mark. In the most recent of those, Fried through upwards of 70-80 pitches, so it’s fair to expect Brian Snitker to have a quick hook in his first outing. Fried is surely on some form of a pitch count off of a long injured list stint, and the Braves need to be careful with him.
Still, Brian Snitker can’t help but show his excitement about Fried’s return.
“It’s awesome,” Snitker said. “I can’t wait to get him out there.”