NEW YORK — Max Fried is on the injured list with a bone bruise in his left elbow. Gerrit Cole is a week or two away. The Yankees had every reason to fast-track Cole’s return.
They refused.
Manager Aaron Boone made clear Friday that Cole will not be rushed back to fill the void left by Fried. The 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner will make two more minor league rehab starts before rejoining the Yankees rotation, regardless of what the team needs in the short term.
The Yankees are not panicking. Their depth is strong enough to bridge the gap.
Boone holds firm on Cole’s return timeline
Boone addressed Cole’s status directly before Friday’s 5-2 win over the Mets in the Subway Series opener at Citi Field. He was asked whether Fried’s injury would prompt the Yankees to bring Cole back sooner.
His answer left no room for interpretation.
“The likelihood is two more with him and then we’ll be in position to roll,” Boone said. “Don’t want to take him off track for a short-term need. When he’s ready, then he’ll insert in.”
Cole is scheduled to make his sixth rehab start Saturday with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He is building toward 80-plus pitches. A seventh and likely final rehab start would follow next week. If that goes well, Cole could rejoin the Yankees rotation around May 27 in Kansas City.
Boone expanded on why the Yankees are insisting on a controlled return, even now.
“We just want to be disciplined to coming off of obviously a serious injury where he missed a lot of time,” Boone said. “We want that build-up to be a steady one, and one that puts him in the best position to come back and have a lot of success up here.”
Cole missed all of 2025 after Tommy John surgery in March of that year. He has walked just two batters in 23 2/3 rehab innings and is sitting in the high 90s. The Yankees want more innings before they depend on him.
Fried’s diagnosis and what it means for the Yankees
Fried was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday after MRI and CT scan imaging on Thursday confirmed a left elbow bone bruise. Team physician Dr. Chris Ahmad examined him. Dr. Neal ElAttrache, a leading Tommy John surgeon, will also review the imaging, though Fried insisted it is for “due diligence.”
Fried said the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow is intact and he will not need surgery. He had no specific return timeline but said the team will reimage in a few weeks or when he is asymptomatic.
Fried described how the injury developed and what the healing process looks like.
“I think we’re looking at a little bit of an ambiguous timeline, just understanding that everyone’s bodies are going to heal differently,” Fried said. “So, I’m going to get back as soon as I possibly can.”
The injury was caused by hyperextending the elbow and, in Fried’s words, “banging the two bones back there.” He believes a mechanical adjustment could help prevent it recurring.
Fried exited his start Wednesday in Baltimore after three innings and 61 pitches. He had been elite to open the season, carrying a 2.09 ERA through seven starts, but had allowed 11 runs in 14 1/3 innings across his last three outings.
His eight-year, $218 million contract is the largest guarantee ever given to a left-handed pitcher.
Why the Yankees are uniquely positioned to absorb this
The Yankees started without both Cole and Rodon and are still 28-17. They have been here before. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal put it plainly.
“Of all the teams in Major League Baseball, the Yankees are perhaps the best positioned to withstand a temporary loss of Max Fried,” Rosenthal said on Foul Territory TV. “Gerrit Cole is close to coming off the IL. Carlos Rodon has come off the IL. They have in their rotation right now Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Ryan Weathers. You’re going to have the possibility of Luis Gil coming back, he’s in the minors right now. Elmer Rodriguez, who made a pretty impressive debut when he was up with the Yankees earlier.
“They have all these pieces. Obviously, you want Max Fried, and you want Max Fried healthy in October, but if he is lost for some length of time, they’re going to be in a better position than most clubs.”
Schlittler has been sensational. He carried a 1.35 ERA into Friday’s start and delivered 6 2/3 dominant innings against the Mets, allowing one run on two hits with nine strikeouts.
Who fills Fried’s spot before Cole arrives
Boone said Friday that the Yankees had not finalized who would replace Fried. There are several options.
Elmer Rodriguez made two Yankees starts earlier this season and is the most likely short-term fill-in. Brendan Beck debuted May 7 and is another option. Paul Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough remain available but have not been stretched out to full starter workloads.
Carlos Lagrange, the Yankees’ top pitching prospect, has 46 strikeouts in 33 1/3 Triple-A innings but carries 20 walks and a 4.59 ERA. The two starts needed before Cole arrives, likely May 19 and May 24, are manageable.
Fried’s absence also resolves a question the Yankees had been wrestling with. When Cole returned, one of Weathers or Warren would have needed to exit the rotation. Now both can stay, and Cole slides directly into Fried’s spot.
The Yankees’ dream postseason rotation still exists. Schlittler, Cole, Fried and Rodon. They are not abandoning that picture. They are protecting it by refusing to cut corners on the path back to it.
What do you think?
