The Atlanta Braves are set to visit the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, marking their final series before hosting the 2025 MLB All-Star Game next week. The annual spectacle is always a joy, and Braves fans are excited to see the plethora of stars who'll be coming to Truist Park for the upcoming festivities.
Although there are plenty of superstars worth looking forward to, Braves fans have been most excited to see former Atlanta ace Max Fried back in town. The veteran southpaw has dominated the Majors this season after joining the New York Yankees on an eight-year, $218 million contract in December.
But right when old Fried jerseys were being dusted off by the Atlanta fans who miss him, a wrench has just been thrown into the former Braves ace's return.
Former Braves Ace Max Fried Replaced by Yankees LHP Carlos Rodon in MLB All-Star Game
On Friday, Major League Baseball announced that Fried will be replaced by fellow Yankees left-handed starter Carlos Rodon on the American League's All-Star active roster. The long-time Atlanta fan favorite is scheduled to start against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, putting him out of contention to play in the MLB All-Star Game.
Carlos Rodón has been added to the American League All-Star team
— MLB (@MLB) July 11, 2025
He replaces Max Fried on the AL's active roster pic.twitter.com/EnzbYko4BF
Braves fans will likely be disappointed that they won't get a chance to watch Fried take the mound next week. The 31-year-old lefty provided the Atlanta faithful with plenty of memories throughout his nine seasons in the franchise's MLB lineup, which included two previous All-Star nods, three Gold Gloves, one Silver Slugger award, and a 2021 World Series ring.
During that time, Fried went a dominant 73-36 with a 3.07 ERA while averaging 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings in 168 games (151 starts).
Since joining the Yankees, the Santa Monica, CA native has picked up exactly from where he left off in Atlanta. Ahead of Friday's action, Fried leads all of baseball in wins (11) and win percentage (84.6%) while pacing the Majors with 19 starts. He's struck out 111 batters in 119 innings while holding them to a .205/.257/.308 slash line — the most effective performance of his career.
Even though Fried won't be taking the mound at Truist Park on Tuesday, Atlanta fans will have another chance at a reunion shortly. The Yankees will be in town for the Braves' first series after the All-Star festivities end, giving Fried another opportunity to pitch in front of his old supporters.
Hopefully, another wrench isn't thrown into those reunion fans.