The Yankees’ rock-solid rotation just took a hit. Max Fried is headed to the 15-day injured list after imaging revealed a bone bruise in his left elbow, and he is expected to miss at least the next few weeks. The 32-year-old left-hander exited Wednesday’s start in Baltimore after three innings and 61 pitches, and the club says it will re-scan the elbow in a few weeks to map out his rehab. For a staff that has been the team’s backbone early in the season, it is a tough early-season gut punch.
Yankees: MRI, CT Confirm Left Elbow Bone Bruise
According to MLB.com, Fried underwent MRI and CT scans that confirmed a bone bruise in his left elbow, prompting the Yankees to place him on the 15-day injured list Friday. The team said noted orthopedist Dr. Neal ElAttrache will review the imaging, and that repeat scans are planned in a few weeks, or sooner if Fried is asymptomatic, to decide when he can resume throwing. That second look will drive the Yankees’ timetable for a return and whether the lefty needs a more extended shutdown.
What Went Wrong In Baltimore
Fried’s issue surfaced during his May 13 outing at Camden Yards, where he left after three innings and 61 pitches. He told reporters afterward that it felt like a hyperextension and that the elbow had been “a little uncomfortable and tight” between innings. “I’m definitely planning on this being sooner rather than later,” Fried said, adding that he was not expecting a long-term problem, according to MLB.com. Manager Aaron Boone described the decision to pull him as precautionary after Fried struggled to get to his release point, and the club opted to send him for imaging rather than push things.
Rotation Juggled, Timeline In Flux
The Yankees said Fried will be out at least a month, a significant blow to a rotation that, as the New York Post noted, carried the highest fWAR among starting staffs entering Thursday. The Post also reported that the club is hopeful Gerrit Cole could rejoin the rotation by the end of the month, but that hopeful timeline, along with the choice of who replaces Fried in the short term, will depend heavily on the follow-up imaging and medical review.
What A Bone Bruise Could Mean
Bone bruises typically heal with rest, gradual rehab and periodic imaging, although recovery can run anywhere from a few weeks to several months depending on severity, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The Yankees are expected to track Fried closely and adjust any throwing progression to his symptoms and imaging results rather than locking into a strict calendar.
Fried had been lined up to start Tuesday at Yankee Stadium against the Blue Jays, a turn the Yankees will now have to rework as they update his rehab plan, per the New York Post. For now, they will lean on their depth, wait on the medical verdict and brace for the possibility that Fried’s absence stretches beyond that initial month-long window.
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