ST. LOUIS -- The Braves on Tuesday placed left-handed ace Max Fried on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Saturday, with a strained left hamstring and recalled right-hander Bryce Elder from Triple-A Gwinnett.

Braves manager Brian Snitker said he won't know when Fried will be able to return until he gets back on the mound to test his injured leg, though Snitker is hopeful that it's a minor hamstring strain. Atlanta hasn't released its starters for the upcoming four-game series at home against the Padres starting on Thursday.

The club is contemplating going with a bullpen game for Friday night’s contest. Fried could miss just one or two starts, but the recovery from hamstring injuries can be difficult to pin down.

"Hopefully, [Elder] can do what he did last year when we brought him up for a few of those starts late in the year and how well he did," Snitker said prior to Tuesday's game against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

"It's good to have that depth."

Fried exited the season-opening win at Nationals Park on Thursday after he strained his left hamstring while racing to cover first base in the bottom of the fourth inning of the Braves' 7-2 win. When Fried walked back toward the mound, he briefly touched the back of his left leg. He threw one warmup pitch and then walked without a noticeable limp toward the clubhouse.

Fried made his third consecutive Opening Day start Thursday, as he began his bid to improve on last year’s second-place finish in National League Cy Young Award balloting.

Elder made 10 appearances for the Braves last year, including nine starts, and he went 2-4 with a 3.17 ERA. Atlanta already has one young pitcher, rookie left-hander Dylan Dodd, who is ranked as the club's No. 10 prospect by MLB Pipeline, in its rotation and is hoping Elder can hold the line while Fried is out.