TAMPA, Fla. — The New York Yankees opened their first full-squad workout on Sunday with a jolt of adrenaline at Steinbrenner Field. Not the good kind.
During live batting practice, a sharp line drive off the bat of Aaron Judge struck ace left-hander Max Fried. For a brief moment, hearts stopped across the Yankees camp. The ball caught Fried on his backside as he finished his delivery with his back turned toward home plate.
Fried appeared to escape serious injury. But for a franchise already bracing for the season without three starting pitchers, any scare involving the staff ace qualifies as front-page news.
Yankees rotation can not afford to lose Fried right now
The timing of this incident makes it especially nerve-wracking for the Yankees. The team will start the 2026 regular season without Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt. All three are recovering from surgeries. Cole is not expected back from Tommy John surgery until May or June. Rodon is targeting late April after his own elbow procedure. Schmidt is on the 60-day injured list and could miss most or all of the year.
That puts Fried at the top of the Yankees rotation by default. And it is a role he earned. The 32-year-old left-hander went 19-5 with a 2.86 ERA and 189 strikeouts across 195.1 innings in his first season in the Bronx last year. He posted a 1.10 WHIP, finished fourth in the AL Cy Young voting and was named an All-Star for the third time in his career.
Losing Fried to a freak spring training accident would have been devastating. The Yankees signed him to an eight-year, $218 million deal before the 2025 season for exactly this kind of reliability.
How the scary moment unfolded on Sunday
Live batting practice is a standard part of spring training preparation. Unlike regular batting practice, there is no protective screen between the pitcher and the hitter. Pitchers throw off the mound while hitters stand in and swing. The setup gives both sides a realistic look before Grapefruit League games begin.
It also comes with obvious risks, especially when a hitter like Judge is in the box. The Yankees captain stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 282 pounds. He led the American League with 62 home runs in 2022 and has consistently been one of the most dangerous power hitters in baseball. When Judge catches a pitch on the barrel, the ball comes off the bat with ferocious exit velocity.
On Sunday, Judge got a pitch he liked from Fried and drove it right back up the middle. The ball hit the left-hander in the backside as he completed his follow-through. It appeared to be more of a glancing blow than a direct shot, which is likely the reason the outcome was not more serious.
Fried played the moment up, turning toward Judge and raising his arms in mock protest. It drew some nervous laughter from those watching. The initial scare quickly gave way to relief.
The incident did not appear to cause any lasting damage. Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged it was a frightening moment but indicated Fried was fine.
Cam Schlittler nears return to the mound after back issue
The Fried scare was not the only pitching-related storyline making the rounds in Tampa on Sunday.
Boone told reporters that Cam Schlittler could resume throwing off the mound as soon as Tuesday. The 25-year-old right-hander has been dealing with mid-back inflammation and a left lat issue since early in camp. He was shut down from mound work on Feb. 12 but continued throwing on flat ground.
Schlittler has downplayed the injury throughout the week. When asked about his concern level, his answer was blunt.
“Zero,” Schlittler said. “I’ve been dealing with it for a little bit so I just want to make sure I’m on top of it and get ready for opening day.”
Boone echoed that sentiment when the injury first surfaced.
“It’s really kind of minor,” Boone said. “He’s felt a little tweak here and there. I don’t think it’ll slow him that much, but we just want to make sure we don’t turn it into something else.”
The Yankees cannot afford to be careless with Schlittler. He was a breakout star in the second half of 2025, going 4-3 with a 2.96 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 14 starts. His fastball averaged 98 mph. He pitched eight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts against Boston in the AL Wild Card Series, becoming the first pitcher in postseason history to throw at least eight scoreless innings with 12 or more punchouts and no walks.
Schlittler is projected to slot behind Fried in the opening rotation along with Luis Gil, Will Warren and Ryan Weathers. The workload from last year is worth monitoring. He threw 164 innings including the postseason, well above his previous professional high of 120.2 innings in 2024.
Yankees pitching depth faces an early-season stress test
The bigger picture for the Yankees is the sheer volume of pitching questions they are managing before a single game has been played.
Cole could appear in some Grapefruit League action toward the end of spring, per Boone, which was an unexpected and encouraging development. The ace underwent Tommy John surgery last March. Being able to face hitters in spring training could put him on track for a return sooner than the June timeline many had expected.
Rodon threw a bullpen session last week following a PRP injection in his left elbow about 10 days prior. He is officially targeting late April or May.
Until those arms return, the Yankees need Fried healthy, Schlittler on the mound and the rest of the rotation filling innings. Sunday’s live BP session showed how quickly things can take a turn during what is supposed to be a routine spring drill.
Fried walked away from this one without a problem. The Yankees can exhale. But with Grapefruit League play opening Thursday against the Orioles and the regular season opener set for March 25 in San Francisco, the margin for error on this pitching staff is razor thin.
Every healthy day for Max Fried between now and that first pitch in San Francisco counts.
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