Atlanta Braves officially reinstate Max Fried from 60-day injured list

As expected, the Atlanta Braves have officially reinstated Max Fried from the injured list and he is the listed started for today's matchup with the chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field.

.@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

Fried, Atlanta's ace, has only pitched in five games this season after starting 30 last year due to hamstring and forearm strains. The hamstring strain caused him to leave his Opening Day start in Washington against the Nationals - he was only out for the minimum and did not require any rehab appearances before returning.

The forearm strain has taken quite a bit longer to heal, with Fried missing three months of game action. He's made four rehab starts with different Atlanta-area minor league affiliates, and should not have any restrictions on his outing tonight (although it's entirely possible they remove him earlier from the game than usual, just to be cautious).

The return of Fried is a major boost to a rotation that has thrived without him, but did not get any reinforcements at the deadline. Atlanta's starters have a 3.99 ERA, good for 8th best in baseball and 2nd best in the National League (behind San Diego's 3.60, which leads all of baseball). The main trio of Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton, and Bryce Elder all have ERAs under 3.65, with Strider and Elder leading the National League in winning percentage and Strider leading all of baseball with 208 strikeouts.

With the addition of Fried, expect competition for the 5th rotation spot to be heavy, with up to six pitchers able to take starts every 5th day between now and the beginning of postseason play:

Pitcher	Starts	Record	ERA
Michael Soroka	5	2-1	5.52
AJ Smith-Shawver	4	1-0	4.57
Jared Shuster	9	4-2	5.00
Dylan Dodd	5	2-1	7.40
Allan Winans	1	0-0	4.15
Yonny Chirinos	2	1-0	7.27

This group of six could end up being seven if Kyle Wright, last season's MLB wins leader (21) is able to return. He threw a bullpen session over the weekend and is preparing for live batting practice as soon as today. The common phrasing as it pertains to the timing of his return is "sometime in September".

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