The Braves have been the best team in baseball to this point, and they haven’t been anywhere close to full strength. Max Fried and Kyle Wright made a combined 10 starts in the first half, and the team still managed to win 60 teams. That’s how loaded this roster is with top-end talent and depth.
Right now, the Braves have four key contributors to their pitching staff on the IL, and the one that appears closest to returning is the most important piece — Max Fried.
The runner up in last year’s NL Cy Young race hasn’t pitched since May 5th, and he finally made his first rehab appearance with the Gwinnett Stripers before the All-Star break. There was some rust, but overall, Fried said he felt good and the velocity was sitting around 96-97. There’s no reason he can’t return and be the pitcher he was before the injury; it’s just a matter of ramping up his workload.
On Saturday, Fried is set to make his second rehab appearance in High-A Rome.
In Fried’s first rehab start, he threw 35 pitches over an inning-plus. I imagine this time around the goal will be 50. His third start will likely be around 70-75 pitches before attempting to throw 90 in his fourth. That’s when the Braves will make the decision on whether he’s ready to return to the majors.
Given the club has absolutely no reason to rush him, it is most likely Fried will make his return to the Braves at the beginning of August. At the earliest, it will be late July. That should give him plenty of time to find a groove before the most pivotal time of the year, and knowing Max Fried, it probably won’t take him long to look like himself again.
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