Max Fried will make rehab start Friday

Braves lefty Max Fried is ahead of schedule in recovering from a groin injury sustained in his last start Aug. 7.

Fried tried to dodge a liner from Washington’s Spencer Kieboom, hurting himself in the process and exiting after two innings. He was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a groin strain following the 8-3 loss.

But Fried has progressed faster than the team anticipated. He’ll make a rehab start with Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday.

“I thought it’d be a little while. Quicker than what we originally thought, so that’s good,” manager Brian Snitker said.

A healthy Fried and Touki Toussaint are the primary candidates for spot starts in the final few weeks. The Braves are sticking with a standard five-man rotation, but they hope to sprinkle in addition starters to provide extra rest for their regulars.

Fried, 24, has earned a 3.14 ERA in 10 appearances (five starts). He’s struck out 36 in 28-2/3 innings.

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