The Braves optioned left-hander Max Fried to Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday, ensuring he won’t be in the opening-day rotation.
Fried has appeared in four games this spring, posting a 6.75 ERA with six strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. The reassignment will allow him to rack up more innings in minor league camp after not exceeding two frames in any of his appearances thus far.
“Just to get him stretched out,” manager Brian Snitker said. “He needs to get into his routine, make some starts, get regular work. And they’ve got another week or more after we leave.”
The AJC reported this week that Fried was unlikely to make the rotation, but will come into play later in the season. Fried leaped from Double-A Mississippi to the Braves last season, registering a 3.81 ERA in nine games (four starts). The Braves see him as a starter moving forward.
“Like what I saw from him last year, this spring,” Snitker said. “He just needs to keep pitching, and we’ll bring him up at some point.”
