The New York Yankees finally won a game Monday, snapping a stretch where they lost nine of 11. But that win doesn’t fix the rotation, and it doesn’t make the elbow injury to Max Fried any less concerning. What it does is buy time.
Fried is scheduled to throw another live bullpen session Saturday, according to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. Manager Aaron Boone has already made it clear that this would need to happen before the left-hander could even think about coming back. Fried threw a live BP Tuesday, so Saturday will be the follow-up. The team wants to see stability. Real stability, not just enough to get through five innings.
Fried has been sidelined since midseason with a bone bruise in his elbow. With any pitcher, that’s a red flag. With a pitcher the Yankees signed to be their ace, it’s a flashing neon sign. The team has taken a predictably cautious approach. He has thrown multiple bullpen sessions, some with hitters standing in, some without. But the Yankees are not in the business of rushing guys back from elbow issues, especially not after watching what happens when you do.
If Saturday’s session goes well, the next step is a rehab assignment. That’s the real hurdle. A live bullpen is controlled. A rehab start means facing actual hitters in an actual game, with adrenaline and real stakes and the kind of torque you can’t replicate in practice. The Yankees want Fried to dominate before he comes back.
When he does return, he’ll be rejoining a team that knows exactly what he brings. Through 10 starts this season, before the injury, Fried had a 3.21 ERA with 50 strikeouts and 19 walks. That’s good. But the Yankees remember what he did in 2025, when he was an All-Star and put up a 2.86 ERA with 189 strikeouts against 51 walks. That’s the version they need.
The Yankees aren’t going to rush him back. But once that rehab assignment starts, the path to the majors gets a lot clearer. Saturday will tell them a lot. And honestly, it might tell them everything.
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