The New York Yankees suffered another rotation injury. Left-hander Max Fried left his start early against the Baltimore Orioles on May 13 with posterior elbow soreness.
Ahead of their series against the New York Mets, MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch reports the latest on the Yankees’ ace.
Hoch reports that Fried is headed for the 15-day injured list. The left-hander underwent imaging, which included an MRI and a CT scan, which revealed a bone bruise. Fried is seeking a second opinion with Los Angeles-based surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
Max Fried Headed for Injured List
Fried’s injury is another blow to the Yankees’ rotation this season. They began the season without Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon. Cole is finishing his rehab from Tommy John surgery, while Rodon made his first start of the season on May 10.
Just as the Yankees welcomed back one left-hander, another hits the injured list. Hoch reports the club will do further imaging in a few weeks or when Fried’s elbow becomes asymptomatic. Until such time, the left-hander will likely be shut down. A longer shutdown period will require a longer ramp-up.
Fried doesn’t believe it will be a long-term problem. The Yankees left-hander told Brendan Kuty of The Athletic that while he’s bummed to miss games, the injury will not require surgery and the long-term outlook is still good.
However, the Yankees will have to figure out who replaces Fried in their rotation within the next turn.
Who Replaces Max Fried in the Yankees Rotation?
Fried’s spot comes up again on May 19, the Yankees’ series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees could place Fried on the injured list and carry an extra reliever until then, but that could create issues for them.
The club has already set its rotation for the Subway Series against the New York Mets. Cam Schlittler, Carlos Rodon, and Ryan Weathers are listed as the probable starters for the series.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that the club isn’t going to use the Fried injury to accelerate Gerrit Cole’s return to the majors. The latest update on Cole is that the right-hander will require two more rehab starts before getting activated from the 60-day injured list.
The remaining candidates to replace him in the rotation are right-handers Brendan Beck and Elmer Rodriguez. However, roster logistics and the Triple-A rotation could make it tough for either pitcher to start on May 19.
Beck was optioned to the minors following his MLB debut on May 8. He cannot be recalled to the majors before May 23, except to replace an injured player. That would require the club to wait to place Fried on the injured list until May 19. If the move is made before then, that leaves Rodriguez as the lone possibility to join the rotation.
Rodriguez’s last outing came on May 10. His next start for Scranton Wilkes-Barre will be on May 16, which will take him out of the running for May 19. Sherman believes that Rodriguez will be recalled to take Fried’s spot in the rotation.
It will be difficult for the Yankees to reshuffle their rotation over the next two weeks, unless they utilize a six-man rotation for a turn or two. Their next off day won’t be until May 28.
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