The Yankees have placed lefty Max Fried on the 15-day IL due to a bone bruise in his left elbow, the team announced. An exact timetable isn’t clear, but it’ll be more than a minimum stint. Fried will be reevaluated “in a few weeks,” and only then will the Yankees determine when he can resume throwing. His MRI will also be reviewed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in the coming days. For now, the Yankees made no mention of structural damage or anything pertaining to Fried’s ulnar collateral ligament. Fried himself tells reporters that he does not think surgery will be necessary for his current issue (link via Joel Sherman of the New York Post).
Fried exited his most recent start (Wednesday) after just three innings. The Yankees announced at the time that he was dealing with posterior soreness in his left elbow, prompting concern about a potential major injury. The bone bruise isn’t a best-case scenario but certainly isn’t worst-case either.
Losing Fried for any period of time — and this, as mentioned, seems very likely to be more than the minimum — is a major hit for the Yankees. The severity of the blow is lessened, to an extent, by the looming return of Gerrit Cole, but the Yankees’ vision of a Cole-Fried tandem leading the rotation still has not come to fruition since signing Fried to an eight-year, $218MM contract in Dec. 2024. Cole’s elbow blew out during spring training 2025, costing him the entire season. The Yankees have still yet to have both aces on the active roster at the same time. Cole likely has at least one more minor league rehab start to go before he’s ready to return.
Fried, 32, is out to yet another terrific start. He’s given the Yankees 61 2/3 innings with a 3.21 ERA, a 20.8% strikeout rate, a 7.9% walk rate and a 48.8% ground-ball rate so far. His debut campaign in the Bronx produced a 2.86 earned run average over the life of 195 1/3 frames.
It’s exactly the sort of production for which the Yankees were hoping when signing Fried to a contract that still stands as the fourth-largest ever given to a pure pitcher (fifth-largest, if we include two-way star Shohei Ohtani). Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Cole and Stephen Strasburg are the only pitchers to ever command a larger guarantee than Fried’s $218MM, whether via extension or free agency.
With Fried headed to the IL alongside Cole (at least in the short term), the Yankees’ rotation includes four locks: Cam Schlittler, Carlos Rodon, Will Warren and Ryan Weathers. They could plug long relievers Paul Blackburn or Ryan Yarbrough into the rotation for a turn or two, and prospect Elmer Rodriguez has already come up to the majors for his debut this year, so he’s another candidate to pick up some innings. Righty Luis Gil was optioned earlier this season but is on the minor league injured list due to right shoulder inflammation.
Oh boy.
I suspect he’ll be put at least a couple months. August return.
It’s all good, Anthony Volpe is back with the team.
🙂
Yanks can’t catch a break with their ACE’S these last few years….( and I’m a Red Sox fan)
I feel like you need to have a fine line of respecting your rivals. I don’t like fans who enjoy another’s teams injuries I feel like that is a sick way of being a fan. Though you can root for them to lose.
But they signed multiple aces, so Fried was an incredible replacement for Cole. When they’re both healthy, who is going to touch the Yankees in the weak AL? I’m also a Sox fan
The Rays have to be feeling good.
The Rays are about to have
A. A Reality Check
B. A Complete Meltdown
C. A Rude Awakening
Or my personal favorite, ALL of the above. 🤣
Why? Have you seen their collective starting pitching stats? They have two power hitters and play small ball well. Meanwhile, the AL as a whole is weak. With a balanced schedule, it’s not like they’re facing the Yankees more than anyone else.
How do you get a “ bone bruise “ on your throwing elbow???
Doctors of the Baseball Nation.. enlighten me.( please..)
Well, his manager is a bone head.
I dunno.
same question?
That’s a shame