The New York Yankees breathed a major sigh of relief on Friday, as it was revealed that pitcher Max Fried — who left his last start due to elbow soreness — only has a bone bruise and has been played on the 15-day injured list.
While the Yankees certainly do not want Fried out of their starting rotation for any length of time, the fact that he avoided a season-long absence from ligament damage is certainly great news.
Fried will undergo another round of tests in a few weeks just to see when he can resume throwing, so you have to figure he will be out for at least a month.
The left-hander has logged a 3.21 ERA across his first 10 starts of the year, allowing 43 hits while registering 50 strikeouts over 61.2 innings of work.
New York signed Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract in December 2024 and watched as he paced its pitching staff with a 2.86 ERA during his debut campaign.
Once Gerrit Cole is back in the fold, Fried will likely be bumped to the team's No. 2 starter in a rotation that also includes Carlos Rodon and Cam Schlittler.
The question is, can the Yankees actually trust Fried when the lights are brightest?
We know that Fried is a terrific pitcher. He owns a lifetime 3.04 ERA since entering the big leagues with the Atlanta Braves in 201, he does a tremendous job keeping the ball in the park and he has been remarkably consistent.
New York Yankees pitcher Max Cried. Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images.
During the regular season.
Fried made a pair of starts for New York last October, surrendering seven runs on 12 hits across 9.1 frames. He walked five batters and struck out just seven, and the Yanks lost each of his two playoff outings.
Small sample size? Sure, but it's also par for the course for Fried's postseason career.
The 32-year-old has pitched in 22 playoff games, starting 14 of them (he initially came out of the bullpen for the Braves). Throughout that span, he has pitched to the tune of a 5.31 ERA while posting an alarming 1.533 WHIP.
What's more, Fried's home run rate nearly doubles in the postseason, and his lack of truly overpowering stuff tends to become a problem.
So is it just a coincidence that Fried pitches rather poorly in October? Or is there more to it?
Well, it's also worth noting that during his start against the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, Fried was rocked for six runs in five innings. He struggled against the Toronto Blue Jays during the year, as well.
Is it possible that Fried actually shrinks in big moments?
Again, the problem with the southpaw is that he isn't going to blow anyone away with his stuff. He isn't a big strikeout pitcher, and when he isn't hitting his spots, he tends to unravel. By the standards of a top-of-the-line starter, anyway.
Fried will likely get the chance to show that he has what it takes to pitch in the playoffs in the fall, but if he falters again, we seriously need to doubt his postseason acumen … if it isn't worth questioning already.
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