After trimming the Philadelphia Phillies’ NL East lead to just five games days earlier, the Braves faced a setback with unusual timing on Sunday when they lost to the Miami Marlins in Max Fried’s return from injury.
Fried’s comeback was somewhat abrupt. Typically, pitchers of his caliber would undergo a rehab start or two at lower levels, such as Gwinnett or Augusta, before returning to the majors. However, due to a shortage of pitching depth from injuries to Reynaldo Lopez, Spencer Strider, and others, Fried was thrust straight back into the big leagues.
The result was disappointing: Fried walked five batters in just over three innings. Despite his struggles, Fried maintained his usual workmanlike demeanor, saying, “I wanted to contribute because we’ve been playing really well and we had things rolling. It’s definitely frustrating.”
According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, the Braves’ aggressive strategy with Fried had several notable flaws. Bowman pointed out that Fried had been throwing with no restrictions as the Braves concluded a series in New York on July 28. However, he hadn’t pitched much since then, with his last regular-season appearance on July 11, and had not faced hitters since his brief stint in the All-Star Game.
For a pitcher like Fried, such a long layoff is challenging to overcome, especially in his first MLB start back against a team like the Marlins rather than in Triple-A. Although the Marlins had traded away many regulars, they still have skilled hitters. A stint in the minors might have allowed Fried to refine his approach and regain his control before facing major-league competition again.