MOOSIC, Pa. — Max Fried had two goals for his first rehab start on Friday night: Get in all his pitches and come away feeling good.
Mission accomplished.
The New York Yankees’ left-hander, who has not pitched in a game since May 13th due to a bone bruise in his pitching elbow, worked the first three innings for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in their 7-6 victory against the Worcester Red Sox at PNC Field. He overcame a lengthy first inning and allowed two runs and five hits — including
a home run — with no walks, three strikeouts, and one wild pitch. He threw 52 pitches, 32 for strikes, and topped out at 95.4 mph.
“Mixing my pitches, some of my shapes. I felt like I was executing some good areas, especially outside that first inning and obviously the home run,” Fried said. “I felt like I was putting it where I wanted to and able to do what I wanted today, which was go out, try some new things, get through all my pitches, build up, and be healthy at the end.”
RailRiders manager Shelley Duncan felt Fried’s outing was solid.
“We didn’t have the best defense tonight behind him. He gave up a couple hits that could have been turned into outs. Tough plays for the fielders, I believe in those guys,” Duncan said. “But overall it was fun watching him. He had a long inning in the first and then a really efficient one in the second, which was a good bounce-back inning for him.
“He’s a hard guy to hit when he’s in the strike zone. He’s got a really loaded arsenal that makes it hard for hitters. It’s fun watching him out there.”
While Fried began his comeback from injury, George Lombard Jr. returned from an IL stint of his own. The Yankees’ No. 1 prospect — sidelined since June 16th with sprained fingers on his left (glove) hand that he suffered when reaching into a sliding Columbus Clippers runner while attempting to field a throw on a stolen base attempt — went 2-for-3 with a home run, walk, one RBI, and two runs. He handled five chances (four assists, one putout) at shortstop, but did have one throwing error.
“I’ve been kind of antsy to get back,” Lombard said. “It’s been about a month now, so I was ready to get back. My body feels good and I’m excited to get back with the team and hopefully keep helping the guys win games.”
Fried threw 28 pitches in two simulated innings June 29th, then threw 36 pitches in a live bullpen session July 11th. So coming into Friday night’s game, he was scheduled to throw about 50 pitches. He used up half that total in a six-batter top of the first inning.
Fried allowed a line-drive single on his second pitch to leadoff batter Nick Sogard, then wild-pitched him to second. After striking out Nate Eaton on five pitches, Mickey Gasper singled on a 2-0 count. He fanned Mikey Romero on seven pitches for the second out, but Andrew Knizner lined a 2-1 pitch through second baseman Marco Luciano to score Sogard and give Worcester a 1-0 lead. The lefty got Brett Harris to ground a 2-1 pitch to Lombard to end the inning.
“Just trying to get the feel of a game setting again. I’ve had a lot of BPs,” Fried said. “Trying to throw the ball over the plate, not walk guys, force action and they were ready. Ready to come out of the break.”
However, Fried rebounded in the second inning, throwing just nine pitches and getting a strikeout and ground out and a lineout.
But with one out in the third, Eaton jumped on a 2-1 pitch and sent it over the left-field fence for a home run.
“It was a slider, a pitch that I don’t really throw a ton,” Fried said. “But I wanted to try a bunch of different things today and see how it works. I guess that one didn’t.”
Gasper followed with a high chopper for an infield single. But Fried got Romero to ground out to second. Knizner then hit a grounder to third baseman Tyler Hardman that ricocheted off him and right to Lombard, who barehanded the ball and threw to first in time for the out to end the inning.
“That was one of those plays that rarely ever happen, but you’re looking for them when they do,” Lombard said. “It just kind of took a lucky bounce over to me and I was ready for it and I was able to make a good throw to first. It helped Max get out of that inning.”
After the lengthy first inning, Fried was glad to go three innings and hit his pitch limit.
“Twenty-five pitches after the first inning, I wanted to try to be able to make it through three, hopefully four,” Fried said. “When you get put behind the 8-ball like that, you just try to go out there and get a quick inning. It was nice to do that. I was able to get my three full innings, 50 pitches, and feeling good, so that’s the most important thing.”
What is next for Fried remains to be seen. Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters in New York that he expects Fried to make another rehab start Wednesday.
“I’ll just go wherever they want me to for the next one. It’s more about whatever the team needs,” Fried said. “If they want me to come and keep building up and have another outing, great. Whenever they feel like I’m ready to go and help the team, I’ll be there.”
Watching the Yankees struggle while he, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Carlos Rodón have been sidelined has been frustrating, but Fried believes the team will right itself.
“We’re a confident group. You’re not going to play your best baseball the whole year, all 162,” Fried said. “It’s been not as consistent as we’ve wanted it to, but we’re pretty motivated to come out of the break and play some of our best baseball, especially when it matters most.
“We definitely have some guys down that aren’t playing. But we also have a really deep team that’s really good. The guys filling in are more than capable of going out there and win baseball games. I’m just trying to give them as much support as I can and do what I need to make sure when I’m back that I’m contributing.”
Prior to his injury, Lombard certainly was contributing for the RailRiders, riding a nine-game hitting streak. It didn’t take him long to extend that to 10 games. He led off the the bottom of the first by crushing a 1-2 pitch from WooSox starter Raymond Burgos off the signage beyond the walkway above the bullpens in left field for his fifth Triple-A home run, tying the game at 1-1.
In two rehab appearances earlier this week with the Florida Coast League Yankees, he homered in each game.
“I was able to get some at-bats down in Tampa while I was rehabbing, so I was feeling good,” Lombard said. “I was looking for a good pitch to start off the game and put a good swing on it.”
With one out in the second, after Kenedy Corona hit a three-run home run to put the RailRiders in front, 4-1, Lombard walked and scored on a two-out double by No. 6 prospect Spencer Jones to make it 5-1. In the fourth, he singled with two outs and easily advanced to third on a single by J.C. Escarra. He struck out in his final at-bat leading off the top of the sixth and exited the game after seven innings.
“He made his presence felt right from the get-go,” Duncan said. “The thing that stood out was on Spencer’s double he put his head down and really busted it to score easy on that play. A lot of guys might watch the ball to see if it was a homer or not. It’s the little things — the plays he’s making on defense. Even though they gave him a throwing error on the one that got under (first baseman) Ernesto (Martinez Jr.’s) glove, it was a great play. He’s fun to watch, but it’s the little things that really stand out to me.”
Duncan said the plan is for Lombard to serve as DH on Saturday and play nine innings at shortstop Sunday.
