Five pitchers in focus in NL West

5 of 6

San Diego: Max Fried

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Corey Brock of MLB.com has the bad news. Bad news for now and the Padres can’t catch a break in regards to injuries.

"Minor League pitcher Max Fried, the Padres’ No. 1 prospect according to MLB.com, will start throwing in 10 to 14 days, after being slowed with a sore left forearm."

Granted, Fried isn’t going to be in a Padres uni anytime in the immediate future, but where ther’s forearm soreness, there can be other issues afoot. Let’s hope this isn’t the case. He’s expected to take about 10-14 days off before starting to throw.

Fried is expected to start this season with High-A Lake Elsinore, but Padres GM Randy Smith says Fried could miss some time at the beginning of the season. With the talent Fried possesses, I think it behooves the Friars to play it safe in this instance.

I know Padres fans have heard enough of injuries, especially with the recent news about Cameron Maybin.