As was expected after he exited his Wednesday start early in Baltimore, Max Fried is going on the IL with an elbow injury before the Yankees’ Subway Series showdown tonight against the Mets. The good news is that the southpaw, who underwent Tommy John surgery as a minor leaguer in 2014, appears to have dodged the worst. An MRI revealed a bone bruise in Fried’s left elbow, a much better finding than the kind of structural issue which was the nightmare scenario. Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post,
Fried does not expect surgery will be necessary. Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the preeminent surgeon who performed Gerrit Cole’s Tommy John surgery last year, will review the imaging to confirm there is no ligament damage that needs to be addressed.
It’s unclear how much time he will miss, but the Yankees have indicated they expect it to be more than the minimum 15 days, planning to reevaluate their star hurler “in a few weeks.” Fresh off a fourth-place Cy Young Award finish in his first season with the Yankees last year, Fried was off to a hot start through the end of April, going 4-1 with a 2.09 ERA through seven outings. He struggled in May, allowing 11 runs in 14.1 innings, before exiting after the third inning during his most recent outing against the Orioles.
With Cole still expected to need multiple rehab starts before returning, the Yankees will need to look elsewhere to fill Fried’s spot, at least in the interim. Elmer Rodríguez, the team’s number-two prospect according to MLB Pipeline, would be the most obvious choice, and Sherman hinted as much. Rodríguez held his own in two starts earlier this season, allowing five runs in 8.2 innings. He last pitched on Sunday, so he’s rested and ready whenever the Yankees want to insert him. At latest, it would be on Tuesday in Toronto, but it could be sooner if Matt Blake and company want to give another member of the rotation an extra day of rest.
