Friedrich was released by the White Sox earlier this month, Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America reports.
After spending time in the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball as well as the Korea Baseball Organization in 2019, Friedrich returned to affiliated ball this spring, joining Chicago on a minor-league deal. He was expected to serve as a depth starter at the Triple-A or Double-A level, but the likely cancelation of the 2020 minor-league season will result in the White Sox cutting ties with him entirely.
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Christian Friedrich: Inks deal with Korean club
Rotowire
Friedrich signed a contract with the NC Dinos of the Korea Baseball Organization on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old hasn't appeared in the majors since 2016 and has been out of affiliated ball entirely since 2017. Before inking a new deal with the Korean club, Friedrich appeared with the New Britain Bees of the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He'll look to impress overseas with the hope of earning renewed interest from MLB organizations next winter.
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Christian Friedrich: Clears waivers, heads to free agency
Rotowire
Friedrich (elbow) cleared waivers and elected to become a free agent Monday.
The Padres dropped Friedrich from their 40-man roster after elbow and lat injuries kept him from making an appearance with the big club in 2017. He passed through waivers untouched, but rather than return to San Diego's Triple-A affiliate, Friedrich opted to test the free agent waters. While he's expected to be ready for spring training next season, the 30-year-old southpaw is coming off elbow surgery in August, so he could be forced to settle for a minor-league deal. He posted a 4.80 ERA and 1.42 WHIP across 129.1 innings during his last full season (2016).
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Padres' Christian Friedrich: To undergo season-ending surgery
Rotowire
Friedrich will undergo an elbow scope in the coming days, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Friedrich suffered a setback in his rehab on Aug. 5 and will be forced to undergo elbow surgery to correct the issue. He'll be out for the remainder of the 2017 season, but the Padres expect him to be ready to return to action next spring.
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Padres' Christian Friedrich: Likely shut down for season
Rotowire
The Padres aren't expected Friedrich (elbow) to pitch again this season after the left-hander suffered a setback during his rehab start Aug. 5 with High-A Lake Elsinore, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports. "[Friedrich] just can't get over the hump," Padres manager Andy Green said Monday. "I would assume at this point in time [a potential return] doesn't look good. I've said that before and we took another shot at it. It's increasingly unlikely he pitches for us this season. He just couldn't pitch pain-free. It's doubtful he throws for us."
Friedrich was scheduled to meet with doctors Monday to decide if arthroscopic surgery was necessary for the elbow, which he wasn't able to extend on sliders during the rehab start in the California League. The 30-year-old has been felled by a number of injuries since spring training, when a strained elbow and lat injury forced him to the 10-day disabled list entering the regular season. He was later shifted to the 60-day DL and began a rehab assignment June 8, making four starts before being shut down with ongoing discomfort. After restating the rehab process a month later, it didn't take long for Friedrich to succumb to another setback. Friedrich is scheduled to become a free agent this offseason and will likely have to settle for a minor-league deal while he attempts to return from injury.
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Padres' Christian Friedrich: Suffers setback in rehab start
Rotowire
Friedrich (elbow) is scheduled to see a doctor Monday after suffering a setback in his latest rehab start, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
This is another tough break for Friedrich, who only recently resumed his rehab assignment after being shut down for most of July due to recurring elbow soreness. The 30-year-old said he still felt pain during his most recent outing for High-A Lake Elsinore, though more should be known about the severity of his setback following Monday's examination.
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Padres' Christian Friedrich: Resumes rehab at High-A
Rotowire
Friedrich (elbow) resumed his rehab stint with High-A Lake Elsinore on Monday, tossing three scoreless innings with no issues, Bill Center of MLB.com reports.
The southpaw was shut down for the better part of July after suffering soreness during a bullpen session, so his return to the mound provides some hope to an upcoming return date. Friedrich is scheduled to throw between five and six innings during his next rehab outing, which could give the team a firmer idea as to his readiness. After posting a 4.80 ERA over 23 starts for the Padres last season, the 30-year-old has yet to play this year while battling back from a rash of injuries and could potentially return as a long reliever.
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Padres' Christian Friedrich: Hampered by elbow soreness
Rotowire
Friedrich (elbow) experienced further elbow soreness during a bullpen session Friday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Friedrich continues to experience setbacks in his recovery, as he was previously sidelined by a finger laceration. It's unclear how severe this new issue is, but it likely pushes his potential return date later in the month of July if everything from here on out goes as smoothly as possible.
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Padres' Christian Friedrich: Transfers rehab to Triple-A
Rotowire
Friedrich (elbow/side) transferred his rehab assignment to Triple-A El Paso on Thursday.
Friedrich tossed four scoreless innings in his third rehab appearance for Double-A San Antonio earlier in the week, so he'll head to Triple-A before ultimately rejoining the Padres. It's unclear how many starts he'll need to make with El Paso, but it appears a the 29-year-old is nearing a return to major-league action.
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Padres' Christian Friedrich: Set to begin rehab assignment this week
Rotowire
Friedrich (elbow/side) is scheduled to throw five innings in a rehab start with Triple-A El Paso later in the week, Dennis Lin of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Friedrich, who has been the disabled list all season with lat and elbow issues, finally appears to be nearing a return to game action. Given the extended length of his absence, he'll likely need more than one rehab outing before returning to the Padres.
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Padres' Christian Friedrich: Nearing rehab assignment
Rotowire
Friedrich (elbow, side) is expected to begin a minor-league rehab assignment with Double-A San Antonio this week, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Friedrich has been on the disabled list for the entirety of the 2017 campaign with lat and elbow issues. The Padres will likely take it easy with the veteran pitcher, but if everything goes smoothly Friedrich could potentially return to major-league action in the coming weeks.
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Padres' Christian Friedrich: Transferred to 60-day DL
Rotowire
Friedrich (elbow, side) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list Wednesday.
It appears Friedrich's elbow injury is a bit more serious than initially anticipated, as he will now be out for a good portion of the next couple months. It's just the latest development in an injury-riddled 2017 season for the southpaw, who has yet to throw a pitch after experiencing elbow tenderness while recovering from a lat strain. The good news here is that a recent checkup showed no tendon damage, so Friedrich may be able to avoid surgery as he works his way back into regular activities. A firmer timetable should become available within the coming weeks.
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Padres' Christian Friedrich: No tendon damage in elbow
Rotowire
Friedrich (side) had his elbow examined by doctors Friday but showed no tendon damage, Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
No one expected there to be any ligament or tendon damage, but this gives the left-hander the official vote of confidence on his elbow. Friedrich's next step appears to be returning to Arizona to begin throwing again, after which a firmer timetable should become available.
