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NEW YORK — The Yankees will place starter Max Fried on the injured list because of a left elbow bone bruise, the team announced Friday.
The left-hander underwent an MRI and CT scan Thursday before being examined by Yankees team physician Dr. Chris Ahmad. The club said Fried will undergo another round of tests “in a few weeks [or when asymptomatic]” to determine when he can resume throwing.
The Yankees announced that Dr. Neal Elattrache, a leading Tommy John surgeon, will also review Thursday’s imaging, but Fried insisted that it is only for “due diligence.” He said the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow is intact, and he will not need surgery but declined to divulge specifics on a timeline for return.
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Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the team has not decided who will replace Fried in a rotation that has been one of the best in the majors nearly two months into the season.
“Definitely bummed that I’m going to have to be missing some time,” said Fried, who exited his start Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles after just three innings. “But overall happy that it doesn’t look like it’s going to be anything serious or surgery required or anything like that. Never want to go on the IL and miss games but also understand that the long-term outlook still looks good.”
Fried, 32, underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014, two years after he was selected in the first round by the San Diego Padres. He has missed time for various injuries since making his major league debut with the Atlanta Braves in 2018, including nearly three months in 2023 because of a strained left forearm and two weeks in 2024 because of another forearm injury.
The setbacks didn’t discourage the Yankees from giving Fried an eight-year, $218 million contract — the largest guarantee ever for a left-handed pitcher — after the 2024 season. The Yankees envisioned partnering Fried with Gerrit Cole to create one of the best one-two punches in the majors.
Instead, Cole underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2025 that knocked him out for the season, and Fried established himself as the staff ace, logging a 2.86 ERA in 195⅓ innings across 32 starts in an All-Star campaign without a stint on the injured list.
Fried was elite again to start this season, carrying a 2.09 ERA through his first seven starts. But he labored over the past three outings. Fried gave up 11 runs while striking out 13 and walking seven — an uncharacteristically high number — in 14⅓ innings. He was pulled Wednesday in Baltimore after yielding three runs on five hits in a Yankees 7-0 loss.
Fried described the bone bruise as a result of hyperextending his elbow, “banging the two bones back there, and it just irritated a little bit.” He explained that modifying his mechanics could help avoid the problem in the future.
The remedy for now is rest and treatment. Fried said he does not know when he will resume throwing.
“I think we’re looking at a little bit of an ambiguous timeline, just understanding that everyone’s bodies are going to heal differently,” Fried said. “So, I’m going to get back as soon as I possibly can.”
The Yankees have a few options to replace Fried. Cole will eventually be the answer, but Boone said the team will not accelerate the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner’s rehab assignment. The right-hander will make his sixth rehab start Saturday and is slated for one more before returning.
The Yankees could have either Paul Blackburn or Ryan Yarbrough, two former starters in the Yankees’ bullpen, take Fried’s rotation spot and call up a reliever. Neither, however, has been stretched out for a typical starter’s workload. Blackburn threw a season-high 43 pitches April 26 and 36 pitches after Fried’s exit Wednesday. Yarborough tossed a season-high 55 pitches Wednesday. His previous highs were 38 and 37.
New York could also promote a starter from the minors. The most notable choice is prospect Elmer Rodríguez from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for his second stint with the club.
Rodríguez made two starts, including his major league debut April 29, when Luis Gil was demoted to the minors. Rodríguez allowed five runs in 8⅔ innings before he was sent back to Triple A before Carlos Rodon was activated to make his season debut. The right-hander has not pitched since logging 4⅔ innings for Scranton-Wilkes Barre last Sunday. Right-hander Brendan Beck, who made his major league debut May 7, is another option.
For now, the rotation logjam the Yankees anticipated with Cole’s return won’t happen, and the club will move forward without last season’s ace.
“I think [it’s] in some ways good news in that the ligament’s in good shape,” Boone said. “It’s just a matter of how the timeline’s going to shake out. But I think in the long term, we’re in an OK spot.”
