The New York Yankees will get Max Fried back in their series against the Red Sox. MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch reports that Fried will start one of their two games in their doubleheader vs. Boston. Carlos Rodon will start the other game.
This news aligns with manager Aaron Boone’s previous update on Fried during their series against the Houston Astros. Fried is currently on the 15-day injured list, as he’s still battling a bone bruise in his left elbow sustained in May.
He’s eligible to be activated for this series, as he just hit the 15-day mark; it’s just more convenient to start him in the doubleheader. The club will be able to carry an extra player against the Red Sox. Boone said he hasn’t determined the order concerning both Fried and Rodon.
But to keep him in the rotation beyond those two games, they’ll have to make a roster move following the doubleheader. They’ll either have to option down or designate a pitcher for assignment.
The Yankees will be able to carry an extra pitcher starting September 1.
What the Max Fried News Means for the Yankees
The Yankees will be managing Max Fried’s elbow injury throughout the rest of the season. The left-hander needed another stint on the injured list when his bone bruise flared up again.
Fried initially suffered the injury on May 13 in his start against the Baltimore Orioles. That kept him out of action for a little more than two months. He made five more starts before returning to the injured list. This stint will be for just 16 days.
His battle against this bone bruise has limited Fried to 15 starts in his second season with the Yankees. He’s been effective on the mound when he pitches, with a 2.81 ERA and 2.56 FIP across 86.1 innings.
This could mark the first time that the Yankees will be at full strength concerning their postseason rotation. Once Fried is activated, it will be the first game that he, Gerrit Cole, and Carlos Rodon are on the active roster.
They’re still a bit shorthanded regarding the rotation. Ryan Weathers suffered a low-grade flexor tendon strain in his start against the Toronto Blue Jays on August 22. He’s been shut down from throwing for the next 2-4 weeks.
Assuming he stays healthy, the Yankees will finish out the season with a starting five of Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Carlos Rodon, and Will Warren. Warren will move to relief when the club shifts to a four-man rotation for the postseason.
Yankees Begin Critical Series vs. Red Sox
While the Yankees are ahead of the Red Sox in the standings, it’s an important series. There are multiple reasons for the club to need this series win, beyond simply the New York vs. Boston rivalry.
For one, they got swept in their last series against Boston, who has springboarded off that to get back into contention. The Red Sox are 41-14 since that series began and have been the hottest team in MLB since.
The other is that the Yankees are behind in the season series, 5-4. To claim the season-series tiebreaker, New York needs to win three of their four games this weekend. With only two games separating the two American League East rivals, they need every advantage they can get for the end of the season.
These two teams will likely meet again for the second straight postseason. The Yankees currently hold the No. 4 seed and the Red Sox the No. 5 seed in the AL postseason bracket. So this series could very well determine who hosts the rematch.
Yankees Announce Max Fried News Before Red Sox Series