The Braves placed left-hander Max Fried (strained right hamstring) and outfielder Cristian Pache (strained left groin) on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Both players were injured during the team’s 14-8 loss to the Marlins on Tuesday night.
Fried had the worst start of his career, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits. He stayed in the game to hit during the bottom of the fourth inning - the Braves were working with a shorter bench, which led to that decision - and doubled. Fried injured his hamstring while running from second to third before he eventually scored. An MRI after the game revealed the nature of Fried’s injury.
The Braves are hopeful that Fried will miss only one start.
“That’s what we’re hoping, but with hamstrings you just never know,” manager Brian Snitker said. “That’s the hope. We’ll leave him back (during the coming road trip), and hopefully it is just one start. ... It’s a mild strain. I think we’ll know more in a couple days. But there’s always concern with those things because they’re so unpredictable.
“The hope is he gets treated up, does his routines and everything, and it’s just one start.”
The Braves have flexibility with how they handle their rotation, thanks to two off-days next week. They begin a three-game series in Chicago on Friday, then have a pair of off-days surrounding a two-game series in New York against the Yankees. The best-case scenario would be Fried rejoining the rotation around the middle of the next homestand, which runs from April 23-29.
“With the off-days, we’re in the process of seeing how we’re going to restructure things heading into the weekend,” Snitker said.
Pache left in the fifth inning Tuesday with left-groin tightness. Snitker said after the game the 22-year-old would require time on the IL. It’s the first IL stint of Pache’s young career. Ender Inciarte replaced him Tuesday and started in center field Wednesday.
“We’re going to make sure (Pache) gets healthy because it’s not something you want lingering,” Snitker said. “I would imagine, too, at the end of the 10 days, he should be good to go also.”
Taking the glass-half-full approach, perhaps the mental break will help Fried and Pache after slow starts. Fried has struggled mightily and owns an 11.45 ERA over three starts. Pache was 4-for-30 (.133) to start his first full season. A reset might do them well.
In corresponding moves, the Braves recalled outfielder Guillermo Heredia and lefty Tucker Davidson. Heredia, 30, can play all three outfield positions and has hit .239/.316/.344 in his five-year major-league career. He appeared in 15 games last season for the Pirates and Mets, going 7-for-33 with two homers and five RBIs. Davidson made his MLB debut in the regular-season finale last year, starting against the Red Sox. He gives the Braves another multi-inning option.
The Braves now have three players from the opening-day roster on the IL in Fried, Pache and reliever Chris Martin.
Notes from Wednesday:
- Martin, who was placed on the IL four days ago, hasn’t yet resumed throwing, though he’s scheduled to begin doing so in the next couple of days, Snitker said. Neither has starter Mike Soroka, whose comeback from a torn Achilles was delayed by right-shoulder inflammation. He was shut down a week ago.
- Beloved former Braves reliever Peter Moylan was named manager of the Melbourne Aces, a professional baseball team in Australia. Moylan was the pitching coach last season and a player-coach in the three previous seasons. The Aces have won back-to-back Australian Baseball League championships.
“Golly, those kids are in for a treat,” Snitker said. “I’m telling you that. I think he’ll be great. Pete is a good baseball guy. He has a great outlook on things. This isn’t something that came to him easy, either. He had to fight and grind, he went through the injuries. He’ll be a great reference for those guys and do a great job. He has a great personality as we all know. My only advice to him is remember it’s a hard game to play. He’ll do a great job.”
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