The New York Yankees have been one of baseball’s best teams throughout the 2026 season to date, and as they begin the second half of the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers, optimism continues to grow.
With the trade deadline being just under three weeks away, there’s plenty of opportunities for this team to take a leap forward as well, and with many assets and an aggressive buyers mindset, this team could be the World Series favorites when October rolls around. However, before then, they need to get healthy, and while some injury updates haven’t been too positive, others have, and now, we know the latest on star left-hander Max Fried.
Max Fried set for Several Rehab Outings Before Return
GettyMax Fried of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, the Yankees announced a major update on Max Fried, as he was revealed to be the starting pitcher for his first rehab outing following his latest injury, with his last outing for New York being on May 13th. A rehab outing is a huge first step, and with the team still sweating on the health of Aaron Judge, Carlos Rodon and Giancarlo Stanton, it’s safe to say that any positive update is an especially good one for Yankees fans.
However, a return to the majors isn’t in Fried’s immediate future, as Aaron Boone has now revealed that he will need to make ‘at least’ two rehab outings before potentially returning to the big league club.
On top of that, his pitch count for his first rehab outing on Friday will be in the low 50s, meaning that unless he completely dominates and feels 100% after his first two performances, he may need a third before returning to the big leagues.
Can Fried Help the Yankees Back to the World Series?
Before being injured, Fried was off to another great start in 2026, posting a 3.21 ERA in 61.2 innings across 10 starts, and after putting together a 2.86 ERA across 32 appearances in his first Yankees season in 2025, the team know just how good he can be when he’s at 100%.
Thankfully for New York, this is a team that’s still loaded with talent in the rotation, as they’re currently led by Gerrit Cole, Cam Schlittler and Will Warren, and when 100% healthy, this is a rotation that’s seen as one of, if not the best in the entire sport. The belief is that the team will get back to 100% in the near future as well, and given the balance this roster already has plus a potential injection of star power at the trade deadline, everything is trending up for this Yankees team to return to the Fall Classic for the first time since 2024.
As of right now, the team are sitting at 54-42 on the season, just three games back of the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East race, but with Judge, Rodon and Fried all potentially set to return in the coming weeks, the rich are just going to get richer, with this team set to be a major threat throughout the rest of the season.
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