The New York Yankees have been dominant from the moment the 2026 MLB season began, and with the fantastic lineup and star studded rotation, it’s easy to see why they’re tied for first place in the highly competitive American League East. The record of 41-26 shows how good New York have been, but on top of that, they have a +103 differential, good for third in Major League Baseball, and as a pitching staff they’ve been dominant, with the combined team ERA of 3.27 ranking them second in the league.
It’s not all been smooth sailing for the team however, as superstar outfielder Aaron Judge has missed some time and remains sidelined, with Austin Wells, Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole all missing significant time as well.
Another Yankees Starter in Max Fried Misses Time
GettyMax Fried of the New York Yankees.
As the Yankees were starting to get somewhat healthy, star left-hander Max Fried went down as well, as his last start came on May 13th against the rival Baltimore Orioles. Before then, Fried was looking like his usual self, going 4-3 with a solid 3.21 ERA across 61.2 innings of work early in the campaign with 50 strikeouts and a WHIP of just 1.01 in that time.
Unfortunately, he was placed on the 15-day Injured List as a result of an elbow injury, and it’s been some time since Yankees fans have gotten a clear update on his timeline to return. Without Fried in the lineup, the rotation is still formidable, boasting a top-three of Cole, Cam Schlittler and Carlos Rodon, but with Fried healthy, this is arguably the best staff in all of baseball.
Max Fried Gets Positive Update on Injury Recovery
On Friday however, Yankees fans were treated to an update on Fried, as Manager Aaron Boone revealed the latest round of imaging on Fried’s elbow has helped clear him to throw from a mound, which he will do on Saturday for the first time since suffering the injury, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.
That doesn’t mean Fried is anywhere close to returning, as the team will want him to slowly ramp things up to avoid a potential re-injury, and on top of that, they may have him make a rehab start or two in the minor leagues before he officially gets cleared to take the mound for New York again. Recovery has to start somewhere however, and while it may take a week or two before we start to see him fully ramp up, this is an encouraging first step as the Yankees look to get truly healthy for the first time this season.
When healthy, this Yankees team may be the biggest threat to the Los Angeles Dodgers and their back-to-back run as World Series Champions, and while there’s a long way to go, if Fried, Judge, Stanton and the rest of this team can get back to 100%, we may see the Yankees put together a historic campaign in 2026.
New York Yankees Star Max Fried Set to Take Next Step in Injury Recovery