Max Fried injury update: Braves ace hits IL with forearm strain after poor start vs. Orioles

Kevin Skiver

Max Fried injury update: Braves ace hits IL with forearm strain after poor start vs. Orioles image

Much like a non-contact injury in football immediately makes fans mutter "ACL," few injuries cause MLB fans to hold their breath more than "forearm tightness" or "forearm strain."

Braves ace Max Fried hit the 15-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to May 6 following his last start against the Orioles — an uncharacteristically poor outing in which he games up seven runs (five earned) in six innings of work. The designation of the injury was a forearm strain, a term frequently associated with the dreaded Tommy John surgery.

It sounds, however, like Fried is going to be able to avoid Tommy John, and the Braves just want to rest him and let his arm recover at its pace. On Sunday, manager Brian Snitker told reporters the Braves were "just going through some things" when asked about Fried's next scheduled start Wednesday being listed as "TBA" in the Braves' rotation plans.

Fried, who will be a free agent after 2024, did not mention his injury following Saturday's loss. Even with that bump in the road, his ERA is 2.08 on the season and he has posted a 2-1 record. As of Tuesday, he is third in NL Cy Young odds on BetMGM behind teammate Spencer Strider and the Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen.

MORE: A complete timeline of Aaron Judge's injuries and IL stints

Max Fried injury update

Fried's injury designation is a "forearm strain," according to MLB.com.

The injury is often associated with Tommy John surgery, but the Braves reportedly are not concerned about needing to take those measures, per Mark Bowman.

It appears the Braves, who are 24-11, are going to approach the injury with caution. The normal spring training program for pitchers is about a month and a half, so the Braves will be without Fried for a while.

In a corresponding move to placing Fried on IL, lefty Danny Young was called up from the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers. Young pitched in one game for the Braves last season after he was acquired from the Mariners, and he made four appearances in April.

Will Max Fried need Tommy John surgery?

As of Tuesday, the Braves appear to believe Fried will avoid Tommy John surgery.

Fried, 29, had Tommy John back in 2014 when he was still in the Padres organization. He was then involved in a deal between the Braves and Padres for the Padres to acquire Justin Upton and Aaron Northcraft.

A second TJ can be extremely difficult to come back from. Walker Buehler recently got the surgery for the second time, but while Tommy John surgery is almost a rite of passage for the modern pitcher, needing it done twice is more rare. Drew Rasmussen of the Rays is a more recent success story.

Atlanta appears to believe it can avoid this fate with Fried.

MORE: Cardinals' slow start: Why St. Louis has struggled early

Max Fried contract 

Fried is under team control with the Braves through 2024, and is currently on a one-year $13 million deal in his third year of arbitration.

Alex Anthopolous has been dodgy on talks of a Fried extension, as his MO has been to sign players within the organization young and buy out team control years while paying a relatively cheap AAV. That isn't an option for Fried, who is likely to command north of $25 million per year in free agency.

The southpaw was a key part of the Braves winning the World Series in 2021, and Anthopolous acknowledged he wants to keep him while also keeping specifics of negotiations under wraps.

"You guys know I never get into specifics on contract extensions for players, but I want to give you something on this," Anthopolous told The Athletic in January. "I’m not just going to give you the hand check. I would say this to you: I think having a deep rotation is really important. And when we’re making the decisions that we’re making, decisions on what we believe we can pay guys or how far we’re willing to go on extensions, it’s because we know we have other decisions to make, right?"

That is, of course, a lot of word salad. But the point is the Braves want to retain Fried. However, Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson both left the Braves when their contracts were up.

For the time being, managing Fried's arm is going to be key for the Braves. They're good enough that the team can certainly keep up its pace without him. With that being said, if they're going to make a run deep into October, they're going to want Fried healthy and in the rotation.

Kevin Skiver

Kevin Skiver Photo

Kevin Skiver has been a content producer at Sporting News since 2021. He previously worked at CBS Sports as a trending topics writer, and now writes various pieces on MLB, the NFL, the NBA, and college sports. He enjoys hiking and eating, not necessarily in that order.