The New York Yankees provided an important update on ace left-hander Max Fried the day before the All-Star break begins, offering fresh insight into the status of one of the club’s most important pitchers.
With the All-Star break providing a natural checkpoint in the season, the Yankees’ latest update on Fried could have significant implications for their rotation plans and second-half outlook.
Fried threw a live batting practice session Saturday that “went well,” manager Aaron Boone told reporters, according to Yankees beat writer Gary Phillips. Boone called it “likely” that a rehab game would follow, with Friday, July 18, emerging as the earliest realistic target, assuming no further setbacks in the coming week.
Max Fried’s Rehab Timeline With the New York Yankees
Fried has been out since May 14, when the Yankees placed him on the 15-day injured list after he exited a start against the Orioles with elbow discomfort. An MRI and CT scan revealed a left elbow bone bruise, not the more serious structural damage the Yankees initially feared given Fried’s history with Tommy John surgery.
“In some ways, it’s good news,” Boone said in May, as quoted by MLB.com. “The ligament is in good shape. It’s just a matter of how the timeline is going to shake out. Long term, I feel like we’re in an OK spot.”
That cautious optimism proved justified. Fried progressed to facing hitters in live sessions through June, then threw 36 pitches in a July 5 session. Sunday’s follow-up bullpen work pushed him another step closer, with no setbacks reported along the way. The Yankees host the Los Angeles Dodgers starting July 17, right as the second half begins.
The Yankees could certainly use a healthy Fried back. New York has dropped eight of its last nine games and trails the Tampa Bay Rays by four games in the American League East, a stretch made rougher by the absences of Fried and slugger Aaron Judge, who has been sidelined since May with a rib fracture.
Max Fried’s Contract and Production With Yankees
Before the injury, Fried was tied for the Major League lead in starts, going 4-3 with a 3.21 ERA, 50 strikeouts and a 1.01 WHIP across 61.2 innings in 10 outings. It followed a stellar debut season in the Bronx that earned him fourth place in American League Cy Young Award voting â a 19-5 record, 2.86 ERA, 189 strikeouts and an All-Star selection, a campaign that also earned him AL Pitcher of the Month honors twice and a Gold Glove.
The left-hander spent 2017 through 2024 with the Atlanta Braves after the club acquired him in a 2014 trade with the San Diego Padres, who drafted him seventh overall two years earlier. Fried started Atlanta’s Game 6 clincher in the 2021 World Series, made three All-Star teams and won three Gold Gloves as a Brave.
The Yankees signed Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract in December 2024, the largest deal ever given to a left-handed pitcher, beating out reported interest from the Blue Jays, Rangers and Red Sox. The agreement includes a full no-trade clause and no deferred money, with an average annual value of roughly $27.25 million.
Fried is earning $14.5 million in 2026, with the bulk of his money still ahead of him. He remains owed more than $200 million on the deal, which runs through the 2032 season, according to Spotrac’s contract database.
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