Twelve days ago, Max Fried was placed on the injured list.
Initially, there were concerns that this might sideline him for the rest of the season, marking the second time he has suffered the same bone bruise in his left elbow.
Less than two weeks later, he returned to the mound for the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
On Saturday night, Fried appeared sharp, though his outing was brief in the Yankees’ 9‑2 win that split the day‑night doubleheader against the Red Sox. He recorded four strikeouts, issued three walks and allowed one earned run over 3 ⅔ innings on 63 pitches.
“I felt sharper early on, but it was good to get back out there and regain my competitive edge,” he said. “Ultimately, helping the team win was the most important thing.”
Fried surrendered a solo home run to Nick Sogard in the third inning but prevented further damage. After Boston loaded the bases with two runners and one out, he induced groundouts from Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu to end the inning. He finished his outing by striking out Caleb Durbin and Andruw Monasterio.
“Overall, he gave us what we needed early in the game,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He was effective, mixed his pitches well and showed good feel, which was encouraging to see.”
The main note of concern was a slight dip in his four‑seam fastball velocity. This season he averages 95 mph on that pitch, but it registered at 93.8 mph on Saturday. His cutter also slipped from 92 mph to 90.8 mph, while his sinker crept up a touch.
“It’s not something I’m overly worried about,” Fried said. “I still managed to execute quality pitches, keep hitters off balance and felt good overall.”
The hope is that Fried will remain available for the rest of the season. He attributed this most recent IL stint to a single pitch that aggravated his elbow and does not anticipate any further missed time.
“I feel great,” Fried said. “I’m very confident.”