ATLANTA — It’s been more than two years since Max Fried had a finger blister severe enough to land him on the injured list, and the Atlanta Braves and their lefty ace wanted to make sure his latest didn’t reach that stage. Especially not in late September, when the Braves can ill afford to have him shut down for any significant length.
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So, when Fried felt a blister forming on his left index finger during the fifth inning of his Sept. 12 start at Philadelphia, he made sure to let Braves athletic trainers know about it. Manager Brian Snitker didn’t hesitate in getting Fried out of that game at that point, after five innings of four-hit, one-run ball in a game the Braves would win in 10 innings after their bullpen blew a 6-1 lead.
He skipped one turn to let it heal completely, and Fried is scheduled to start Thursday against the Nationals in the opener of a four-game series at Washington.
“Just started to feel like it was coming on, kind of caught it before it could get really bad,” Fried said of the irritation he felt in the fifth inning at Philadelphia. “With obviously the position that we’ve put ourselves in, we didn’t want to risk it. So basically, they laid out a timeline, they said they would rather make sure it’s completely gone, no issues, not have to worry about it again.”
Fried had the finger taped for his first throwing sessions after coming out of his last start but said he threw a bullpen Monday without tape and had no issues. (Pitchers can’t have tape or a bandage of any kind on a finger during games.)
"We just wanted to make sure there would be no issues"
Max Fried comments on being pushed back in the rotation due to a hot spot on his throwing hand⤵️ pic.twitter.com/acsGghxoDy
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) September 19, 2023
Asked if the Monday bullpen sans tape was a reassuring sign, Snitker said: “Yeah. I think we feel good about getting him back out there.”
Fried had multiple missed starts and injured list stints for finger blisters during his minor-league career and early in his MLB career, but he has been able to manage the situation in recent years by being careful and letting trainers know if he felt a “hot spot” forming on a finger. He last went on the IL for a blister in June 2021, that one also on his left index finger.
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He said the latest one was curtailed before it could become a significant setback.
“It wasn’t like a real bad one, where it got too many layers of skin or anything like that,” Fried said. “At that point, we just wanted to make sure it was going to be no issues. I think probably in a playoff scenario I’m definitely pitching through it, I’m not (skipping a start). But given the circumstance and the timeline that we have right now, just better to err on the side of caution.
“I deal with little blisters and stuff all the time. It’s just something that you’ve got to deal with during the season. No one’s ever going to be 100 percent.”
Fried is 7-1 with a 2.64 ERA in 13 starts this season, including 5-0 with a 2.96 ERA in eight starts since returning from a three-month stint on the injured list for a left forearm strain. He has 48 strikeouts with 11 walks and four homers allowed in 45 2/3 innings since returning from the IL and has pitched at least six innings in five of eight starts in that period, including seven Braves wins.
(Photo: Rich Graessle / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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