Braves place Fried on IL with back spasm
The Atlanta Braves placed left-hander Max Fried on the 10-day injured list due to a left-side muscle spasm in his lumbar spine, the club announced Tuesday.
The move is backdated to Sunday following Fried's Saturday start against the Washington Nationals.
Explains why Fried's velo dipped in his last start on Saturday. He was sitting 91.5mph with the heater. For context, he averaged 94 with the four-seamer in 2019.#Braves @680TheFan https://t.co/bQNFzklRjX
— Kevin McAlpin (@KevinMcAlpin) September 8, 2020
Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos anticipated Fried would return in the Sept. 16-18 range, according to 680 The Fan.
"In an ideal scenario, we would've been able to move him back a few days and it would resolve itself," Anthopoulos said Tuesday. "We're extremely confident this will be short-lived. He'd tell you the exact same thing."
Fried, 26, is enjoying a breakout campaign that's put him in the NL Cy Young conversation. The hurler's posted a 1.98 ERA in nine starts for the Braves this season.
Atlanta also recalled right-hander Kyle Wright and activated reliever Jacob Webb from the 45-day IL. Utility man Charlie Culberson was designated for assignment.