The New York Yankees rotation took a major hit on Friday. After leaving his start on Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles with left elbow soreness, the Yankees placed Max Fried on the 15-day injured list hours before Friday’s series opener against the New York Mets.
Fried is in the midst of another productive season in the Bronx. He arrived last offseason on a record-setting eight-year, $218 million contract after spending his first eight seasons with the Atlanta Braves.
The 32-year-old left-hander posted a 3.21 ERA across 10 starts before going down, continuing to operate as the ace of the staff.
With both Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon yet to make their season debuts, Fried had been the most important pitcher in the rotation.
With Fried sidelined, questions naturally arose among Yankees fans about whether New York would consider calling up Cole from his rehab assignment earlier than planned. Cole began his rehab work in April and has been pitching in the minor leagues for the past month.
However, Yankees manager Aaron Boone made it clear that Fried’s setback will not change Cole’s recovery plan.
“The Yankees will not accelerate Gerrit Cole’s timeline in the wake of Max Fried’s injury. Likely two more rehab starts,” reported Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Boone later revealed that Elmer Rodriguez will make a couple of starts in the rotation instead of Cole.
While this is disappointing for Yankees fans who hoped to see Cole sooner, especially considering he threw 77 pitches in his fifth rehab start earlier this week, the Yankees are still proceeding with caution. After missing all of 2025 following Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, the organization does not want to rush him back.
In Cole’s last relatively healthy season in 2024, the 35-year-old veteran right-hander posted a 3.41 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 95 innings. The Yankees are thriving at 27-17, but they recently slipped to second place in the American League East.
Keeping Cole on schedule remains the priority, and the Yankees believe patience now will pay off when he returns at full strength later in the summer.
