3:20 p.m: Fried spoke to reporters, including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, after the game. He said he thinks it will be a temporary issue and hopes to start next.
2:00 p.m: The Yankees removed the starter Fried Max from today’s game after just three innings. It was later announced that he was lifted due to pain in his left elbow. Will take pictures tomorrow. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic was among those who reported the news.
At this point, it’s too early to know if this is just a precaution or if this will eventually become a serious problem. Fried has some elbow problems on his track record, as most football players do these days. He had Tommy John surgery back in 2014, when he was a minor leaguer. In 2023, an arm strain caused him to miss nearly three months of the season. In 2024, he had a very short IL stint related to his arm, as forearm neuritis put him on the shelf for almost two weeks.
It was after that 2024 season that he became a free agent and signed with the Yankees to a massive eight-year, $218MM deal, the largest ever guaranteed to a lefty. The deal is working well so far. In 2025, the Yankees lost Gerrit Cole to Tommy John surgery but Fried stepped up as an ace. The southpaw made 32 starts last year with a 2.86 earned run average. He finished fourth in Cy Young voting behind him Tarik Skubal, Garrett Crochet again Hunter Brown.
Here in 2026, the Yanks are still waiting for Cole to return. They also started a campaign outside Carlos Rodónwho had surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow last fall. The Yanks started the year strong with a 27-16 record. Coming into today, their 3.07 rotation ERA was a hair behind Atlanta’s 3.06 leading in the majors. Fried has done his part, with a 2.91 ERA coming into today’s game.
The rotation has done so well that the Yankees seem inclined to make tough decisions. Rodón came out of IL a few days ago. Making room for Rodón was easy from there Luis Gil He struggled enough to be optioned to Triple-A. But Cole is also prone to comebacks. Between Fried, Rodón, Cam Schlittler, Ryan Weathers again Is Warrenthe Yanks had a full rotation.
Rodón hasn’t had a chance to put up numbers so far this year but he has a solid record. The other four have all been pitching well, with no one on the team having an ERA over 3.42. Weather, Warren and Schlittler have options but it would be hard to tell one of them to go down to the farm if they are playing so well. Going to the bullpen can be a lot of fun but it can be tough. If Fried ends up needing time in the IL, the decision will be easy, as Cole could step into Fried’s place.
That probably wouldn’t happen right away. Cole made his last appearance on May 10 and went five innings, but the Yankees said they expect him to make one or two rehab appearances after that. Maybe Fried hitting IL will speed up the process but maybe they don’t want to rush anything with a pitcher as important as Cole.
If Fried needs an IL stint and if Cole stays in his rebuild for a long time, the Yanks will have to find a short-term rotation. They come out tomorrow but then play 13 days in a row after that. Recalling Gil won’t be an option because he was ruled out of the minors with shoulder inflammation and won’t pitch for three weeks. Elmer Rodríguez again Brendan Beck they are 40 people and can be recalled. Paul Blackburn again Ryan Yarbrough they had first-hand experience and each pitched multiple innings of relief after Fried left today, so they could be part of some sort of patchwork solution.
For the Yanks, the biggest concern will be long term. In an ideal world, Cole, Fried, Rodón and Schlittler would probably rank as the best rotation for a playoff series. Hopefully, Fried’s issue turns out to be minor and he can come back in time to make that a reality. Any other result will derail the team’s season.
Photo courtesy of Mitch Stringer, Imagn Images
