The New York Yankees anxiously await the return of left-hander Max Fried. Manager Aaron Boone provided an update on Fried’s recovery from an elbow injury, telling MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch that he’ll throw live batting practice in Somerset on Saturday, July 11.
That is an encouraging sign for both the Yankees and Fried. The left-hander has already progressed to facing hitters, which starts the clock on a potential return. He’ll still need to ramp up to a starter’s workload.
Fried last pitched on May 13, when he suffered a bone bruise in his start against the Baltimore Orioles. He had been shut down for four weeks before getting back on the mound again.
Fried threw a simulated game on July 5, facing Giancarlo Stanton and Ryan McMahon at Yankee Stadium. The left-hander got to two innings and 36 pitches in that sim game.
Presumptively, the Yankees will try to ramp up his workload in his next outing in Somerset. There’s no indication of what the target innings or pitch count will be in his next live BP.
Max Fried’s Potential Timeline to Return
The target pitch count to get Max Fried back in the rotation will be at least 85 pitches and preferably six up-downs. That was the protocol they followed with Gerrit Cole when he returned from Tommy John surgery.
Assuming an increase of 15 pitches per outing, Fried will get around the 85-pitch target in about four outings. That places a conservative estimate of his return to be around the end of July, at the earliest.
It’s unclear when the Yankees will clear Fried to start a rehab assignment. Once they do, they have 30 days to get the left-hander ramped up to a starter’s workload.
Based on his last outing and the assumption of adding 15 pitches per outing, that places Fried’s potential return to the end of July at the earliest. However, it’s unclear if his pending return will affect the Yankees’ plans ahead of the August 3 trade deadline.
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