Braves: Max Fried’s hand, Austin Riley gets first start in left

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Fried eyeing Sunday start

The surging left-hander Max Fried left Braves Country holding their breath after a line drive struck his throwing hand Tuesday night. The coaching staff let him toss a few warm pitches but ultimately decided to remove him after one inning.

Fortunately, it was reported during the remainder of the ball game that X-Rays came back negative on Fried’s hand. The Braves ruled him day-to-day with a hand contusion. 

According to multiple sources close to the team, Fried is upbeat regarding his injured hand. He will be throwing in the coming days to see if he can make his next scheduled start – which is Sunday.

Austin Riley makes first start in LF

Riley is becoming one of the worst kept secrets in the Braves farm system. Ranked as Atlanta’s top prospect by some, the powerful third baseman has countered a slow start with an unbelievable stretch of fifteen games. If he keeps this up, the Braves are going to want to find a spot for him on the major league roster. Right now, there isn’t one due to his limited defensive versatility.

Outside of a few innings in spring training – the organization has yet to try him out in the outfield. That changed today, as Riley got his first start in left field on Wednesday. The Braves are taking initiative here, trying to see if Riley can play anywhere other than third base. The more positions he can play; the easier it is to get him on the field. It’s much more painless for the Braves to move around their outfield than to take out Josh Donaldson, who they spent $23 million on this offseason and is one of the team’s best bats. The sooner the higher-ups know Riley can play the outfield; the sooner he will be in Atlanta.

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