The New York Yankees placed starting pitcher Max Fried on the injured list, which is a bit of a concern.
New York surprisingly placed Max Fried on the 15-day injured list on Monday with a left elbow bone bruise. It’s the same injury that sidelined him for two months earlier this year, and if that’s the case, his season could be over.
However, Yankees analyst Brendan Kuty of The Athletic handed the team good news in the fact that the team didn’t place him on the 15-day IL.
“A potential saving grace for the Yankees? The club didn’t put Fried on the 60-day injured list, which would have ended his season. The Yankees appear to be holding out hope that he could still return by only putting him on the 15-day IL,” Kuty wrote.
If Fried’s recovery isn’t as long as it was earlier this year, he could be a part of the playoff rotation this season. However, that is a major question mark, and if Fried is done for the year, it’s a blow to the Yankees rotation.
Fried is 4-4 with a 2.81 ERA in 15 starts this season. He’s in the second year of his eight-year, $218 million deal with the Yankees.
Yankees Have Options in Rotation
Although New York would be hoping for Fried to be in the rotation, the Yankees do have other options.
The Yankees’ playoff rotation would be led by Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, and likely Carlos Rodon. And Ryan Weathers and Will Warren can add some depth in the rotation for New York.
“The Yankees had hoped to head into October with a rotation fronted by Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole and Fried,” Kuty wrote. “That might now be in jeopardy, though they have coverage in Rodón and lefty Ryan Weathers, who has been especially good of late (2.56 ERA over his last 11 starts). The sudden departure of Fried makes it even more important that the rest of the Yankees’ stars return healthy — and soon.”
Regardless, losing Fried for any stretch of time is a major blow to the Yankees pitching staff.
Yankees Holding Onto Wild Card Spot
New York is holding onto a Wild Card spot, and the Yankees are coming off a series loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Yet, the Yankees did avoid being swept by the Blue Jays as they won the final game of the series on Sunday, as Ben Rice hit a two-run home run in extras.
“It definitely felt good,” Rice said postgame. “I mean, you just gotta have as short of a memory as you possibly can, and just go out there and try to execute a plan against whoever’s on the mound.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone, meanwhile, was also impressed with the win.
“This season has tested our character and our resilience,” Boone said overall about the win. “It’s games like this we continue to find ourselves in. We just gotta keep fighting and know that we’re an incomplete team, but we have a chance to be who we want to be.”
The Yankees are 69-55 and 6 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays.
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